Burning Books
by eggrolljunkie99
Summary: It was a little harsh, but Warren couldn't help but equate her changing her looks to make someone else happy, with burning books. Request!fic. WarrenOC
1. Ugly Duckling

Hey y'all, new story here. I know I promised Prey would be the next one, but I got a request for this and well… My ego outweighs any plot-bunny, no matter how many carrots the thing's horked. So, Bri, hope you like this one so far, and Bitsy-glitter, I hope you like this one better (If you read it), keep up the criticism, I need it to write better (seriously).

I don't own Sky High.

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"…TCBSS, HHRRZP, and finally SSHROTZPQ, what do all these acronyms stand for?"

"Uhm, Bee Yew El El Ess Eyhch Eye Tee?" Laughter irrupted around the class room as the brown-haired girl grinned from her joke.

"Very funny Felicity, go see Principal Powers." Felicity, still grinning like a mad man, gathered all her things and stuffed them in to her largely abused book bag. Warren liked to imagine that her eyes, which she had once said was blue, glittered in amusement over her various hijinks, underneath her perpetually bushy bangs. Her mouth, which was the only visible part of her face since her long fluffy, and that was being generously kind about them, bangs reached past her nose, which he suspected was styled like that as part of her gimmick, was wide with a teeth-baring grin. She waited a few more seconds, using those moments to make faces at Magenta, who, oddly enough, could tell her expressions apart, and was shooting ridiculous faces back at her, while the teacher was trying really hard not to laugh and finish the referral slip legibly. Finally she managed, and cleared her throat, schooling her face into the semblance of professionalism she was supposed to embody. And Felicity was out the door singing some Japanese anime song.

_"__oto no nai mahiru_

_kaze ha tada akarui_…"Her surprisingly melodic voice drifted till the door closed behind her, cutting off the song.

Even after knowing her almost two years, Warren couldn't quite pin down everything about her. One moment she was cracking jokes and eating her lunch, and the next, she was singing some sad-sounding melodic Japanese song. Despite the fact that she was one of his "friends", and in fact his closest female friend simply because she knew when to push and when to back off, Warren knew surprisingly little about her, even if he knew more about her then his other friends through the times she would come to help out around the Paper Lantern, in exchange for a free lunch and solid connections with her "Asian-peeps".

He remembered the first day he had "met" Felicity. And how surprised he was by her.

_There sh__e was, tiny little thing, not even__ five feet __with her puff-ball hair, and about as big around__, at__ the widest part of her body__ as his hand. __She__ trembled a little at Boomer's loud voice and scurried up to the platform._

_"I can do Origami."__ She had said quietly. And Boomer laughed._

_"Paper folding?!" He had cried, between gasps for air. "That's your super power?! PAPER FOLDING?!" He nearly fell out of his chair laughing.__"Sidekick!"__ H__e crowed._

_"Aren't you going to at least give me a chance to show you what I can do?" __She asked, her fists going to her hips._

_"No! Sidekick! Now get off and let someone with real power come up." He jeered and she frowned, looking furious, grabbed her backpack and zipped it open, pulling out a large bundle of paper cranes._

_"Very nice sweetheart, but my decision's final." He said, getting frustrated. She breathed on the multi-colored paper birds and a golden glow swept over all of them. Suddenly they all came to life and started attacking Boomer._

_"Ow! Hey!" He swatted at the birds as they continued to dive-bomb him. "Okay! Okay! Hero! HERO! JUST CALL THEM OFF ALREADY!" He boomed,__ and__ she smiled sweetly, and the birds flew back to their bundle and resumed being lifeless._

_"Thank you for letting me demonstrate my abilities." She bowed to him and scurried off the stage.__ People started to murmur as she made her way to the back past Warren Peace. _

It amazed the pyro that she had grown so far since the timid little thing she was freshman year. From quiet shy girl to class clown.

At the teacher's frustrated "Ahem" Warren dropped his thoughts and returned to taking notes.

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Principal Powers sighed as Felicity once again sat in front of her for disrupting class.

"Felicity, this isn't going to be an everyday occurrence is it?" Felicity sighed.

"I'm really sorry Ma'am, it's just… I can't stop the things I say from coming out of my mouth! I've tried everything I could think of! Including stuffing my mouth full of gum so I would be too busy chewing, to talk, but I ended up blowing a bubble in Mr. Medulla's face." The older woman's lips quirked in a repressed smile at the memory of the man leading her in here by the arm, spraying spit he was so mad, and covered in sticky pink gum.

"I want you to take that board to the detention room, and write, a thousand times "No one likes a smarty-pants." you may leave after the thousandth line." She said pointing to a rolling blackboard with a fresh pack of chalk on the little shelf at the bottom of it. Felicity bit back a groan and grabbed the blackboard and made her way to the blindingly white room to serve out her punishment.

After the girl had left, Powers let loose the chuckle she had been holding back, and leaned back in her chair.

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By the time she had made it to lunch, her forearm felt like it was throbbing. There at the table, Magenta was waving her over. Despondently, she sank down into the saved spot and groaned.

"What was today's punishment?" Magenta asked, popping a chicken nugget into her mouth.

"One thousand times on a chalk board "No one likes a smarty-pants."." Everyone chuckled at the line. She pulled the bento her mom had made for her that morning.

"Lunchboxing it today?" Will asked, curious as to what his friend was eating.

"Hai, mum made me a bento this morning." She said falling into her English accent. She ran a hand underneath her bangs and rubbed her temples. She opened the box, and ripped opened the paper to the disposable chopsticks her mum kept around for bentos and guests. Holding the bamboo sticks in front of her, one stick in each hand, she softly called out "Itadekimasu" and pulled the sticks apart, aiming for a perfect 50-50 split. Alas, no such luck.

"What's E-ta-decky-ma-sue?" Will asked, eyeing the box full of Japanese foods.

"It's kinda like grace. The Japanese say it before beginning to eat." She said, popping the sausage in her mouth.

"But you're not Japanese, so why say it?" Zack asked, eyeing her omelet.

"I'm half." She responded eating a spicy pickled radish.

"Really? I didn't know that!" Layla said.

"I don't really talk about myself much." She replied, shoveling a clump of rice in her mouth to cool it after the spicy pickles.

"Well, you know everything about us… we'd like to know more about you." Layla said earnestly. Felicity paused and sipped her freshly opened canned green tea.

"Well, what exactly would you like to know?" She took another sip of her tea, before putting it down.

"Everything!" the Flora-manipulator insisted. Felicity paused for a moment and began, in the same tired dull voice she had had since arriving.

"Well, I'm double third generation, meaning I'm third generation on both sides of my family. On my Dad's side my Grandmother was the Super called Jaguar, and my Grandfather was the head of an International Rescue branch, in Scotland. My Dad was the British Superhero called Arrowhawk. My Grandfather on my Mother's side was the International Jewel Thief called Origami, and my Mother was the "Magical Transformation Girl" who ended up defeating him. My Dad met my Mum when he was on a mission in Japan and ran into Mum when she was battling a giant monster. I have no siblings." She took a drink of her tea before continuing. "I was born and raised in Japan, I speak English and Japanese fluently, I do have a bit of a British accent to my voice because my dad was British and it's how I learned to speak English. I moved to America in the seventh grade after my Dad died. I've always had my powers for what I can remember. That satisfy your curiosity love?" She asked mildly, she really didn't mind sharing information about her life; she just thought it wasn't important to mention with out being asked.

"So you're Scottish, Japanese, and…" Felicity rolled her eyes, only Americans were so obsessed over their ethnicities.

"Belizean." She supplied. Finishing off the last bit of her rice and pickles, she placed the lid back on the container and threw away her chopsticks in the trashcan right by their table.

"Cool." Magenta said.

"So, can we go over to your house?" Layla asked.

"I don't know… Mum runs a Japanese household; they're pretty strict about their rules and standards, and you don't get a chance to rectify a mistake." She said warningly.

"It's okay! We'll be on our best behavior!" Felicity peered at them through her overly frizzy bangs and gave a surrendering sigh.

"All, right, I'll call and ask if you can come over." She said, pulling out her phone and excused herself from the table.

"_Moshi Moshi."_

_"Oka-san, can a few of my friends come over after school today?"_

_"Well, I don't know…"_

_"They promised to be on their best behavior, and I will inform them of our customs."_

_"Alright. But only if you inform them of the rules of the house, and they follow them to a tee. Got it?"_

_"Hai Oka-san, Ja ne."_ Her mother hand already hung up the phone, so Felicity ended her side of the line and pocketed her phone. She returned to her friends and sat down.

"She said yes, but only with some conditions. Upon entering the house, you must take off your shoes and leave them in the doorway. I highly doubt you'll be expected to follow tradition exactly and announce yourselves, so don't worry about that. You are to be quiet, and this is a biggie. We own a Dojo and our students must have quiet. Plus Japanese households are usually quiet anyways. If she makes us Ramen or Miso, which she might as an after school snack, it is polite, in Japanese customs, to slurp, it's considered an insult not to. Yes we use chopsticks, no we don't have forks. Any questions?" The group shook their heads. Felicity leaned around Ethan to talk at Warren's back. She always tried to include the stoic boy, and at least make him feel like he was always welcome, because she always had a niggling little fear that he felt left out.

"Warren? You coming?" He grunted and shook his head no. She sighed, of course he wasn't.

"Well, call me if you change your mind." Not that he ever did. But she felt, that in some way, he must have been somewhat, deep down inside, touched by her efforts. And she was content to have him know she did consider him a good friend and tried to include him, in things outside the Paper Lantern.

"Well then meet you all after school." She said as the bell rang, summoning the super-powered adolescents to their next class.

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"Now girls, remember! Next month I'm having a talent scout come to the school, don't worry he's also a super, come to guest judge our open concert, and I want you all to bring your "A" game." The bell rang and the small group of girls in Mrs. Merlot's Choir, all stuffed their items in their bags and left.

"Oh! Felicity, be a dear and stay after. Don't worry I'll write you a pass." Confused she turned and walked back to the choir teacher's desk.

"Felicity, don't say this to the other girls, but out of everyone in this class, I think, talent wise, you have the best shot. But, unless you join up with a band in the next week and audition in for the last spots, you aren't going to be able to attend if you keep up your trend of detentions, and you continue to look… like that." Felicity looked down at her torn jeans and black shirt with the holes in it. "So, I purpose... a sort of challenge for you. If you want that badly to perform in the concert, starting Monday, you will be clean-cut, well groomed, and no longer get in detention daily… or ever. And if you stay well-dressed and groomed, and have stayed out of detention till the day of the concert, I will let you perform… heck I will give you a solo, but only if you meet my criteria. Do we have a deal?"

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"Sh-she-she wants you t-t-oOo d-d-do wh-ha-ha-hat?" Layla cried, shrieking in laughter.

"Shh! Kami-sama Layla! Keep it quiet!" Felicity hissed as she heard the Dojo class paused in their katas. She could practically feel her mother's anger radiating.

"Ooh, sorry, but it's just, you know… funny. She wants _you_ to dress normal." The half-girl was seriously tempted to strangle her friends… and burry the bodies underneath the Sakura tree.

"Oh… and how so?" She arched an unseen eyebrow, crossing her long, thin, arms underneath her pathetically lacking bust-size.

"You're… just perpetually a mess. We love you to bits, Flissy, but you didn't even manage half way decent at homecoming this year… and lets all please forget the previous year's winter formal disaster you wore." She scowled at the hated, no loathed, nickname and mulled over what they said. There was no point in being hurt, and boy did it, after all they weren't _trying_ to be malicious, they were just pointing out a truth. She gave a small sniffling sigh, as she really tried hard to over-look basically being called ugly by her friends. Suddenly feeling horrible at her saddened demeanor, her friends all made excuses and fled, with only Layla staying behind to hug the poor distraught girl before taking off in awkward silence.

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After excusing herself from the house, Felicity found herself wandering around till her stomach growled with hunger. She checked the cross streets, mentally pulling up a map of the Maxville Suburbs, before making a left and walking down three block.

The doors to the Paper Lantern stood open, offering a respite from the chilly early October air. Inside Mrs. Heung spotted her and called out.

"Let me guess… you're here to bother my bus boy too." Felicity looked up and smiled sadly at the Chinese woman.

"No, Mrs. Heung, I'm here to scarf down a big plate of your delicious eggrolls." She had always got on fabulously with the ageing Chinese woman. One of the few adults she did get along with. Mrs. Heung, familiar enough with her bizarre ways, knew that she was in need of some serious comforting.

"Come in dear! Come in!" The elderly woman hobbled out on her broken feet and ushered the girl inside to a booth in the back.

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Mrs. Heung was the owner and occasional hostess when they were understaffed, of the Paper Lantern. Mrs. Heung, and her daughter Ms. Heung, who was recently divorced and had taken her maiden name back, were the two responsible for running the Paper Lantern, which is where one could normally find Warren working his ass off bussing tables and, every once in a blue moon, serving food. That's if Layla wasn't there trying to get him to take the night off and play Parcheesi at her house, or something equally fun when the group got together.

"Here dear. You just sit and thaw okay?" She turned to the back and shouted something in Mandarin to the back and sat down herself.

"Now, you tell Granny Liu what's wrong." Felicity couldn't help but chuckle, she had to be the only teenager, aside from Warren himself; the old woman was "Granny Liu" to. One day, Felicity swore, the ancient woman was going to snatch Layla bald for trying to convince her bus-boy to ditch work.

"Ah, I'm just having a crappy day." she sighed. "It's pretty stupid, but I don't know… I've always been self conscious of my appearance, growing up in Japan a half… well they're always quick to point out your differences. And I tried so hard to not stand out, even though I was taller them most the girls, and my hair was always frizzy regardless what I tried to do… and my eyes, they're… blue…" The woman across from her nodded sympathetically. "I've always been the "ugly duckling" and I'm… I tried to not let it get to me… but… it just… I'm happy the way I am… why do people need to change me?" The woman sighed and patted the girls hands, who where currently folding her napkin into a puppy dog. Since it wasn't paper, she couldn't bring it to life, but it looked cute anyways.

"I grew up in the early 1920's in China; women were objectified and put into roles that they couldn't escape. And in many ways, they still are like that today, in some parts of China. I was the last female of my family to have my feet bound, and I suffer daily from it, but it was tradition. When I had Mao, I told my husband, that I was not going to let him do to her, what my father did to me, and I left him, with Mao, who was an infant at the time. To come to America. This great land whom they say is free of intolerance, is not so. But… I never had to bind my daughter's feet, and she was free to marry the man she chose, unlike I was. And sometimes that's worth everything. I can never return to my home village, because of my disgrace. But I took a little bit of home, and started the Paper Lantern, which then I took other immigrants, much like you and myself, and gave them jobs, and now, I can offer food, not just from the Mandarin province, but every province in China, even some Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Tibetan cuisine." The old woman said. Felicity wasn't sure what it had to do with her problem, but it was a heartwarming story none the less. Granny Liu smiled at the young girl and got up to start closing down the restaurant. Felicity had no qualms about staying after closing, usually that's when she came anyways, being an unofficial member of the Paper Lanterns "family" since any time the place was holding an celebration of an Asian holiday, she would come and do origami for the kids, and have the Karaoke system set up and taken down when needed. For free.

The clack of a plate being set down broke her out of her thoughts and one Warren Peace came into view, looking scrumptious in his tee-shirt and with his hair tied back. Quickly, embarrassed about her thoughts, she looked down at the over piled plate of eggrolls, with a few dumplings, wontons, and pot stickers piled on the ends, and the plate filled with different dipping sauces.

"I figured you'd be here tonight." He said, noting she was looking at the over filled plate. "Oh, by the way, you're splitting those. I had to deal with a manic Layla, upset over hurting your feelings." She grunted. As he took one from the top and started on the hot-mustard sauce, she opted for the plum sauce, and took a bite.

"So that bitch really said that shit to you? About not being "pretty enough" to have a talent agent spot you?"

"Roughly." she said in-between bites.

"I think you look fine the way you are." Felicity blushed and swallowed roughly, wincing as a sharp piece of deep-fried wrapper scrapped her throat painfully.

"Thanks." She muttered, feeling great about her secret crush saying something like that to her.

"So, what are you going to do about the concert?" He asked in-between bites.

"I got two options. One I get all beautified, and perform. Two I say fuck it and done jeans and my extra ratty Pink Floyd shirt Monday."

"Option two sounds more appropriate, I mean who's that bitch to tell you how to dress?" He said, dipping his third eggroll in Duck sauce, while Felicity opted instead for a pork bun.

"Well," she began after taking a bite "it's complicated; this is an opportunity I'd rather not miss. I mean, sure, I could probably get recognition some other way, but, it's a talent agent, one who's used to working with Super's in the Biz. I probably will never get that chance again. I don't want to change, I like my frizzy hair, most days, and I'm content with myself. It hurts to hear people say that I'm not pretty enough for something, or that I'm a fashion disaster because I wear guys tee-shirts and jeans instead of pretty clothes, but it's part of who I am. I was never a Harajuku girl, and I couldn't be if I tried. But I will put an effort into doing this, if it means I have a chance at my dreams, I'll try." Warren pushed the plate out of the way and leaned across the table to grab her shoulders.

"Listen to me Felicity, you're fine the way you are. But if it means so much to you that you impress these people, I guess I'll support you." He gave her a little shake, loosening up a smile on her face, before sitting back down to finish his food.

"Thanks Warren, you have no idea how much that means to me." She said softly, a blush staining her cheeks. She finished her bun just in time for Mao to come by with a freshly brewed pot of Oolong and two of the establishment's best tea cups.

"Hey kids, clean and lock up when you're done kay? I'll count it as payment." She winked at them and left with her mother, both of them donning identical long red coats. Again, Felicity being the only friend of Warren's she treated like that, and had always insisted that if she cleaned her own dishes, her meal was paid for. Warren poured tea for the both of them, and fished out a cream cheese and onion wonton.

"So, I take it you and Layla are going to spend an entire weekend fighting crowds at the mall." Felicity smiled a charming smile at him that made him shiver in alarm.

"Mm-mm." she shook her head, her fluffy chocolate colored hair swishing back and forth. "I'm going to the Harajuku district in Tokyo."

"It must be great being the daughter of a Super-powered dignitary." He deadpanned.

"Ah, Mum's going to fill out some paperwork they need her to do once every so often. She's going to talk to the Japanese Super Embassy about extending her stay, which of course they'll agree to. And she told me that I should take a limo and a friend and hit Harajuku with her credit card." Warren looked at her in surprise.

"You're mom's letting use her credit card…" he said.

"Yeah, I was kinda shocked too. But I guess, it's okay, it's tied to the account she receives all of her money for being an ambassador to the American Supers Council. It's not a lot of money, so we basically live off the dojo's earnings. But we use it for spending, which is what it's intended for." Warren didn't see how they needed the dojo, which he was welcomed to have free kendo lessons at his discretion, when they were also paid for being representatives of the Japanese super community. But let it go, for now.

"So you and Layla are going to go to Japan to shop? She'll love that." He said, refusing to read her smile.

"Nope, not Layla, got someone else in mind." Warren gulped his tea and shot her down.

"I am not going shopping with you."

"Aw, come on… don't you wanna go to Japan with me?" Warren sighed.

"I'd love to go to Japan, especially with you, but I ain't going shopping." Felicity refused to get her hopes up by asking what he meant by "especially with you" so she dropped it. Besides she knew he would come anyways, he was just being stubborn.

"Oh come on Warren! I trust your opinion better than anyone else's. And besides… I'll take you to go get Japanese Hotpots." He swallowed the rush of saliva that flooded his mouth, cursing the day she discovered his weakness for Asian cuisine.

"So, I can get one here too you know." Damnit, he really didn't want to go shopping. "And besides! What the hell do I know about fashion?"

"I don't need you to tell me about matching colors and fabrics. I need you to honestly tell me if I look stupid or not." Warren sighed; she wasn't getting a crucial flaw in her plan.

"But that's the problem… I think you look fine the way you're dressed right now." She smiled and blushed.

_And people wonder why I'm crushing on him._ She mentally laughed, they never had him try and pick their damaged ego back up for them.

"I know, and it's because of that I ask you to help me look "diva" for a month. And I promise it's only for an afternoon. And the rest of the weekend's ours to goof around in an entire country." Warren sucked in a furious breath and fumed. A weekend in Japan, authentic Japanese cuisine, the weekend with Felicity, and a guaranteed five plus star hotel for the weekend. All for agreeing to sit through an afternoon of critiquing her clothes, while she changed herself for something he didn't agree with to begin. God damnit he _really_ hated shopping. He let loose his breathe and took another deep inhale through his nose.

"It's only for an afternoon." He finally said.

"Right." She confirmed, mentally dancing as she won a hard won victory.

"And I will get food." He said, pouring a new cup for himself and downing it.

"Yes."

"And I will get food immediately before and after this… shopping." He said the word like it was synonymous with deadly flesh eating viruses... or Barney.

"All you can eat." She promised.

"What time do I have to be there." He sighed.

"Seven."

"PM right?"

"AM."

"It's twelve thirty now." Warren said glancing at the clock.

"Really?" She asked, her eyes going wide.

"You didn't show up till ten." He reminded her.

"Wow… I'm not tired." Warren smiled.

"I guess we're sleeping on the way there then." He joked.

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Review people, it makes updates so much more frequent. And seriously, critique. I love constructive comments, whether negative (just don't be a bitch about it, because I'm sure you can find a way to say whatever it is you dislike, without trying to make me feel like an idiot for writing (and trust me… if you do try… it will never succeed)) or positive (and "I love it", is not constructive, appreciated, but not constructive) just tell me what it is you like or dislike, I will respond with a thank you and my reasoning behind it, or my promise to fix it.

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Explanations:

Most of these you probably already know or can figure out, this segment is for the more obscure references and stuff.

The Ethnicity/American comment. Most of the people I know, who are of mixed decent, and come from another country, all say the same thing; it's typically an American thing to ask about ethnicities. And while some countries, like Asian ones, are slightly biased against mixing into other ethnicities. For the most part, no one cares.

And the Hotpot thing. Hotpots are universal Asian food. They are very popular amongst many of the Asian cultures, as they are quick, easy, and can feed a large group of people. The basics of a Hotpot is broth, and however much, of what any person wants, of whatever ingredient. It differs from country and season. The thing that makes a Japanese hotpot stand out is that they are A) made with miso broth, and B) largely comprised of seafood.

A hotpot is one of the few dishes not traditionally served with rice.


	2. Wasn't Pretty Enough

So Felicity changes, not that she's any different inside than before, And Warren makes a discovery he's not to thrilled about. Oh Noes hypocrisy!

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Warren sat there, pounding his head against the wall behind him, waiting for Felicity to finish having her hair "professionally" styled. From what he could see of the corner of the salon they had her captive in, she had turned into a giant, Ozone eating, cloud of hairspray. Occasionally he saw a hand, spread wide with the tell-tale sighs of extreme pain.

_No pity_ he told himself over and over again. She wanted to change, well he wouldn't feel one bit of pity for her while she was doing it. Some assistant came by and chattered to him in Japanese. Unable to understand what the tiny woman, was saying, he shook his head and shrugged. She gave an exasperated sigh and left. And he resumed banging his head on the wall behind him.

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Behind Felicity, the people styling her hair Oohed and Ahhed over her naturally afro-esque hair, as they tried to keep it pinned back.

"It's soo soft! But it puffs up like an Afro! You know most women your age would kill to have this hairstyle and texture?" Felicity sighed.

"It's different when it's unintentional." She moaned as one of the stylists gave a particularly painful yank. Finally after a lifetime, and a quick trip, by an underling, to a near by shop for various hair ornaments and more hairspray. They managed to push her hair back, letting it surround her head like a fluffy chocolate colored halo. Once that was done, one girl took a pair of scissors to the back, shaping it like an afro, while another pinned her bangs to one side with several bobby-pins. A few more layers of hairspray, a few quick teases with a brush, and she was done. Finally.

"Here you go!" They turned her around to look at her new hairstyle.

"Wow." Felicity said, not believing it was her. Behind her all of the stylists giggled and covered their mouths.

"I got a head transplant." She muttered in English. "How much do I owe you ladies?"

After handing over the credit card, she walked over to where Warren was doing a fantastic job of giving himself a "boredom concussion".

"Come on, we're done." He shot up and looked at her hair.

"Nice. They did a good job." He said, feeling obligated to pay her a compliment.

"Thanks." An assistant ran back with her card in need of her signature. She signed the scrap of paper and wrote out a generous tip. They rang everything up and handed her a second receipt, with the total of what she spent, tip included, printed in it. Putting the credit card in her wallet, and stuffing it in her pocket, Felicity bowed to them and, the two left.

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"Okay, now to get some lunch in you before you explode and burn down the city." She teased, feeling good about herself with her new hairdo.

"Good, I'm starving." She laughed.

"That's not surprising, you have a hollow leg."

"Hey now, be nice, I'm here as a favor to you." He teased back.

"Yeah right, I see right through you Warren Peace! You're only here for the food." She said dramatically.

"Sigh, your right." He joked back, grinning. She giggled and started paying attention to the restaurants they were passing, looking for a casual dinning one that offered Hotpots.

One christened Hoshi-Bozo caught her eye, but she declined to go in there, particularly if the establishment was named The Lecherous Monk.

Another one entitled the Swimming Crane, looked promising.

"Wanna go in here?" she asked. Forgetting he didn't read Japanese.

"Looks great." He said.

"I'm asking because one, it's also a bar, and two they offer Geisha services." Warren snickered at the thought, but his growling stomach told them both, they were going to eat here.

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"Cheese." The three said, as the flash of a camera pierced the dim atmosphere of the bar. The Two Geisha's who had been particularly keen on Warren, departed to serve other customers, and Warren blinked the spots out of his vision.

"And now you have a touristy memory of Japan." Felicity chuckled. Warren shrugged, and munched on an edemame. Felicity shook a sip of her sake, making sure neither she nor Warren drank enough to get drunk, while they both waited for their food. On the small stage a young high school girl who had a bit too much to drink got up and stage and sang a rather recently released popular Jpop song. She wasn't half bad, considering she was too drunk to stand up straight for more then five seconds. The crowd applauded and another, possibly of equal or greater inebriation, took her place and sang another song. They two lost interest after the seventh school girl, and they turned back to their appetizer and sake.

"You gonna get up there are sing?"

"Mm, maybe, after out food comes." She was content to sit there with him. Conversation continued, light and halting, until the hotpot came with two bowls. Warren, not waiting an instant, filled his bowl up with as much as he could fit in it, and began to chow down. Felicity watched him, she was glad he was enjoying himself, he always seemed so guarded, even when he was around their friends. It hurt her to think that one of her friends felt the need to close themselves up. She thought of the two Warrens. His school side, cold and stoic, the side who didn't get along with anybody, and terrified the masses at gym. And his out of school side, the side that was warm, and willing to go out of his way for a friend, the side she was crushing major on. She also thought of her weird crush on him. She only thought of him in those ways outside of school, where he was the Warren who would split a giant eggroll platter with her at eleven at night, and tell her she looked nice. Who hugged her once when she was upset because she didn't get the part for the school musical because she didn't "look" the part. The only one who didn't laugh when she told the story of her first play being cast as the dandelion.

"You going to eat, or stare off into space?" Warren asked, bringing his face up from his bowl.

"Huh? Oh sorry, I spaced out, how the pot?" Warren swallowed his mouth full of shrimp and studied her before replying.

"It's really good. So, what were you thinking about?" Felicity paused for a brief moment in serving herself before finishing ladling the broth and cabbage and shrimp.

"Oh nothing… just how different I'm going to look." She said, taking a mouthful of sake and swallowing it. She was beginning t o feel warm, and knew she needed to lay off the drink before she became tipsy. She flagged over a waitress and ordered a coke.

The arsonist studied his companion for a moment, wondering what she really was thinking about. He took in her hair, which really did look nice on her, it opened up her face, and let everyone see her sparklingly ocean blue eyes for once. Could it be she was feeling insecure about changing her looks? He knew she had lingering self-esteem issues from childhood, growing up in a culture quick to point out differences, but somehow he doubted it was that. Could it be that she was anxious over the next month? He knew a lot of girls were not going to be happy she suddenly became… "pretty". He fought a sneer at the connotation of the word. She was fine to begin with. A brief bubble of anger at remembering Layla's sobbing confessions about hurting Felicity's feelings popped in his throat, she didn't mean it to be like that though, and Layla was going to make it up to her come Monday.

"You know, aside from the hair, which really does look nice, I still don't agree with you changing your looks. I… You know… its that… " He sighed in frustration "Who gives a fuck what your dressed like? I mean I don't care if you come to school in a tarp, I'm still your friend, that wont change because of your clothes. And you know what? Your clothes have no impact on your ability to sing, and I am so pissed off at that teacher telling you, you can't do something, because you wear ACDC shirts and jeans. I don't understand why your playing ball… no, I do understand… I just… hate the fact that your trying to imitate something your not, because as any idiot who's heard you sing can say, you're a great singer, and whether your in a Bob Marley shirt and a pair of cut offs or in a Cocktail dress, there's nothing wrong with you." He finished, looking down, blushing from anger at the people making her do this and embarrassment at the speech. She looked down, he thought she…

"Warren…" She was interrupted by a woman on stage calling for someone, anyone, to come up and perform a new song. She sighed, knowing Warren was about to start ribbing her in a second, and raised her hand.

"Ah!" the woman said/gasped/shouted, in an annoyingly over-cheerful way.

Felicity got up on stage, and faced the mike.

"And what song are you going to perform for us?" the woman asked in a thickly Japanese accented English.

"Tsubasa wo Daite." The woman looked surprised at her perfect Japanese and a round of polite applause responded.

_"__Haruka kanata no sora wo terasu_

_Hikari wo mezashi habataku kedo__" _ she sang when the intro music was done and it was time to sing. The crowd fell silent when she began to sing, everyone giving her attention. In the back, she could see Warren though the light, just barely, staring at her in wonder.

_"Tsumetai ame ga tsubasa wo nurashite_

_Kyou mo hitori"_ Felicity closed her eyes, and lost herself in the music.

_"Sazanami no you ni yurete iru yo_

_Kokoro no naka no tooi kioku"_ The words flowed like a water, as her voice rose and sank with the tempo and crescendos of the music. And when the lyrics ended, and all that was left was the ending symphonic music, Felicity bowed to her applause, and left to go sit back down.

"See, you sang beautifully." Warren congratulated her. She smiled at him and finished her food.

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"Hell no." Warren said, snapping a picture for black mail later, as she came out in a canary yellow dress-thing. She shot him an annoyed look and went back in the changing stall as an assistant handed her a red and blue number.

A tall, and obviously gay, man strode over, grabbed the clothing items the assistant was handing Felicity, took one look at it, smacked him, and said something to the teary eyed boy, and shooed him off. Warren had it on camera to prove it.

A moment later, he came back with a tape measure, and a clipboard, and he went in with Felicity. Warren stood up to get ready to pound the guy, when he came out a moment later, and started snapping orders at the boy. Five minutes later the fop pushed a black number on her, and she closed the curtains fully to change. A few minutes later, she came out in a pair of leather bell-bottoms held up by a belt with a shiny silver buckle, a grey cotton shirt and a black mini jacket over it. Warren's eyebrows arched.

"Nice, perhaps as a costume, but not school appropriate." He finally managed, she said something in Japanese to the man and he had his assistant put it aside and bring forth a new outfit.

This continued for five hours till Warren was no longer sure which pile they were buying and which one they were sending back. Nor was he aware of well over half the clothing they picked out, his help not needed anymore in the presence of the small-time fashion designer. His stomach growled loudly causing Felicity to laugh and tell the man they were done. The assistants, for there was way more clothes then one man could handle, gathered the piles and rang them up, or dumped them to be washed and put back. The Pyro peeled himself off the dangerously uncomfortable chair and groaned when his back protested. A musical yawn told him their "model" was every bit as tired as he felt. The missed hours of sleep finally catching up with them. Finally, after a rather pricy bill, the two piled into the limo and had the chauffeur take them to the hotel.

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The Hotel was a nice affair, sadly it only had one western style bathroom, but at least there were three separate rooms. The view was outstanding, and it looked like they were to have the place to themselves.

"Felicity, I have a very important dinner meeting tonight, I won't be back till way late. Please do not call me unless it is an emergency. Love Mom." She read off of a piece of paper, Warren smirked, and flopped on the couch.

"Hey Warren! Think fast!" she chucked the balled up note at him and he incinerated it at five feet. Felicity laughed and walked over to the couch and fell in it too.

"So… what should we do on the government's dime? International prank calls? Order up a large bottle of champagne then send it back?

"Food. Delivery. Then pranks." He grunted. Felicity laughed, she could have predicted that one a mile away. And picked up the phone.

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Twenty minutes into a Japanese reality show the delivery guy showed up.

"Warren, food's here." Felicity called getting up from the couch. She heard the toilette flush as she opened the door and the half-girl paid the man and shut the door.

Careful not to drop the two large boxes, and grateful they put the cold sushi on the bottom instead of the hot tempura, she placed them each on the dining room table and opened the boxes up. The Deluxe Large Sushi Platter: with over seven different types of Sushi, had been a pretty penny, food wise, but she knew Warren could pack away over half of the box easily. The tempura, however, had been a promotional offer and made buying the super large box worth it to get it's equal weight (and Tempura weighs a lot less then Sushi) in the deep fried deliciousness that was tempura. As per her specifications half the box of tempura was vegetable, and the other half meat, and a large (read: LARGE) tub of dipping sauce for the whole box. Plus the entire trimmings one's supposed to have with a meal, such as soy sauce, two closed plastic bowls of Miso, wasabi, precooked rice in little plastic throwaway bowls, disposable chopsticks, pickles for their rice, and etcetera and so forth, in a large bag. So all in all, even if the equivalent was roughly fifty bucks worth of food, it was still a deal. She heard Warren finally leave the bathroom dressed in his PJs, or rather PJ bottoms, exposing his yummy top.

"I forgot to pack sleeping shirts." He mumbled embarrassed by her staring.

"Need to borrow one of mine?" She asked, her mind still focusing every last once of mental power she possessed on keeping her from drooling.

"Nah, it's not a big deal…" He tied his hair back with a tie he had around his wrist. Felicity focused on the food and asked.

"Put the food in front of the TV, I'm going to go change and put in a DVD."

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Felicity came back dressed in a pair of blue be-starred PJ pants and a baby blue wife-beater, her hair was largely let free, except her bangs, and she crossed her arms over her chest, feeling exposed in the presence of a male without a bra on. She had noticed that he had already taken the liberty of dimming the lights, (which made her feel slightly better about her freed pointy a-cup bust) and had moved a table in front of the couch and had grabbed the six pack of coke they had in the mini fridge as a courtesy, and piled it on the table with the food. She hesitantly sat next to him, and when he didn't immediately comment on her bra-less state, she relaxed a bit.

"Okay, I have Death to Smoochy or Eastern Promises." She said fiddling with the cases.

"Ooh, tough call… Hm. What's Eastern Promises like, I didn't get a chance to see it in theaters." The girl handed him the back of the DVD case.

"Oh it's about the Russian Mafia and this dead girl, it's really good, but the plot's kinda strange." Warren opened the case.

"Well, I guess we're watching Smoochy anyways. No DVD." He showed the empty case to her.

"Oh, shit… I guess I must have left it in my DVD player at home. Oh well." She got up and put Death to Smoochy in the player.

"Hey, I know it's bad manners and all, but since it's just us, why don't we eat out of the boxes and save ourselves a mess?" Felicity shrugged.

"I don't care, if it's less of a pain in the ass later then go for it." Warren handed her, her utensils, and tore open his own set.

"Itadekimasu." She chimed and they broke the sticks. Felicity started on her rice and pickles while Warren dug straight into the sushi.

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Hours later, after the movie had ended and several Japanese horror films followed. Warren and Felicity were having a thumb wrestling contest for the final piece of Ootoro Sushi.

"It's mine damn it! You ate most of the box already!" She yelled, more enjoying the "battle" then actually mad at potentially losing the final piece of Ootoro.

"I'm a growing boy! I need more food than you do!" He shouted back, not really hungry anymore, but not willing to relinquish the final piece of Tuna sushi.

"Then eat the Hamachi!"

"But I want Ootoro!" He whined.

"Tough luck!" She jabbed him in the stomach, not enough to hurt him though, and stuffed the piece of sushi in her mouth.

"Cheater!" He shouted, tickling her sides so that she would have a difficult time swallowing. She swallowed roughly, and grimaced as tear welled up in her eyes from it. Warren retreated his hands when her face turned red and her eyes started tearing. He watched carefully to make sure she was breathing, before settling for a Shira Ebi.

"Fine, you won the Ootoro, but you gotta pay for it." He threatened.

"Alright, what's my payment." She rasped slightly.

"Er.. I'll get back to you on that…" she chuckled and opened a new soda, wincing as the carbonation scratched her slightly hurt throat.

"You know we still have a bunch of tempura left." She enticed him. Unfortunately it was slightly cold and chewy, but still good. She bit into her eggplant slice and chewed as he dug out a prawn. When the clock chimed midnight Felicity offered to pack up everything and save it for breakfast tomorrow. Warren was used to this particular custom and got up to help. When they had finally cleared the last thing away for tomorrow, the two bid goodnight and departed to their separate rooms.

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Warren woke up first, at eleven, and found a bowl of Miso soup and a plate of tempura and Sushi, and a plastic bowl of rice and pickles, waiting for him in the fridge. After heating it all in the microwave. He sat down on one of the bar stools in the kitchen leaning over the Breakfast bar, and ate in silence. To day they were going to go hang out around town, doing whatever they pleased till three. In the distance Felicity had woken up, thrown herself into the bathroom with a pile of clothes to change into, and shut the door, loudly, waking up her mom. Minutes later Saeko MacLeod came out of her room, dressed in a pair of pants and a tank-top.

"Morning Warren, so what's the plan for today?" she asked riffling through the fridge for leftovers for breakfast. He swallowed his chewed mass of sushi and answered.

"I don't know, Felicity's the one who knows where stuff is, I just follow and carry bags." Saeko laughed.

"Oh Warren, you know she adores you right?" Warren colored a bit and sighed.

"I guess." He murmured scratching the back of his head. True, she did always make sure he knew he was invited, but she never begged him to come. At least not when she knew he didn't want to go. He had always suspected she had a bit of a crush on him. And while he was flattered, she didn't interest him. Which was a problem because he always told her that she looked fine, but he wasn't attracted to her. He really, really, hated to admit it, but she… well… wasn't pretty enough.

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Aw, poor Felicity… is she forever doomed to be stuck with that phrase haunting her?

Of course not! Muahaha. Of course, Warren knows she can be pretty if she tried, but he's not connecting the dots. XD And now officially… Dun Dun Dun… the drama begins. Mm, I love how Warren wants her to stay plain, but won't date her because of it. (I surprised myself with that.)

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Explanations:

Ootoro, Hamachi, and Shira Ebi are all types of Sushi.

Ootoro is a tuna Sushi and is bottom of the fish; it translates as Fatty-tuna. It is considered to be one of the best cuts off Tuna.

Hamachi is Yellowtail.

And Shira Ebi is Shrimp Sushi, which translates as White Shrimp.

Tsubasa wo Daite is a song from an anime called Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, the anime's… not one I'd personally recommend, but they have good music. And no, I didn't put the entire song's lyrics up… I got lazy.

The Song I used last chapter, since I forgot to put it in bottom explaining it, and someone asked about it, is called Hiro no Tsuki, from the anime Outlaw Star

You can find the songs to both of the anime on www(dot)animelyrics(dot)com. With youtube links.

If there's anything you would like to ask me about that I mention or didn't explain, please feel free to ask.


	3. Paper Stars

Okay, I have to say this first, BEFORE YOU READ!!!! I KNOW IT SOUNDS LIKE THE GANG'S HORRIBLY OUT OF CHARACTER BUT IT'S A MISUNDERSTANDING! They do say some pretty mean stuff, but they didn't mean for Felicity to over hear them, and they never mean to hurt her feelings. Unfortunately they didn't realize how loud they were, and how mean they sounded… but other than that, please review, I hope you like the chapter.

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Warren, suddenly feeling awkward, had decided to stay at the hotel room, while Felicity and her mom had gone out trinket shopping. Felicity had passed it off as too much sushi, Saeko had given Warren a flat look the read _"this better not be what I think it's about."_

After his third Japanese game show, he was starting to regret his decision.

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The plane trip back had been even shorter then the first. Being that their original jet had been diverted to escort an Intergalactic Princess to some safe point on Earth where her people could pick her up.

The life of a super was an interesting one to be sure.

So using the _very_ latest in transformational technology (short of the always dicey teleportation modes, which one could never be entirely sure what they would come out as) the trip, which would normally be at least half-a-day by normal commercial flight, was three hours. That included gathering their bags and finding where they parked in the airport parking.

Which meant, by five, everyone was gathered in Felicity's living room, debating about what they should go do on a Sunday before school.

Felicity voted park, free and open all night.

Will and Layla voted movie.

Zack and Magenta seconded.

Ethan and Warren said no way in hell where they sitting through a make-out session, so the two couples could just go on a double-date.

Ethan thought about the museum, but it was closed by then.

Warren mentioned a local band playing at the teen's club.

Felicity reminded him he was banned for life for setting the bartender on fire.

The Mall would be closed by the time they got there. To which Layla pouted complaining about Warren getting to shop in Japan and the experience being wasted on him.

"Tell you what, next time I'll take you." Felicity promised.

"Really? You promise Flissy?"

"I promise they will never find your body if you ever call me that again." She said, dead serious. Unfortunately everyone else thought she was joking.

"Hey why teach us some origami instead?" Magenta asked. Felicity thought it over and shrugged.

"Eh sure, what do you want to know how to make?"

"Ooh, how about butterflies?" All the guys groaned and Felicity giggled.

"Er, that's a little advance for beginners Layla. How about... frogs?"

"Yeah that's fine." Magenta said shortly. The half-Japanese girl got the vibe that Magenta was merely trying to chase her out of the room, but dismissed the thought. She scratched her fluffy head, having opted to not style her hair today, and closed the door behind her.

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Not even three steps away from the door, she heard her friends start to gossip.

"_So what was it like? You know, staying in a hotel room with Felicity."_

"_We had different rooms in the suite, so I didn't actually stay WITH her._" Warren's unmistakable voice rumbled through the walls.

"_What was it like shopping?" _Layla's voice came through the walls as Felicity walked down the hallway to her room for paper.

_"Like I paid attention."_ Warren grumbled.

_"Dude, you know Felicity's crushing in you right?" _The girl stopped, hearing Magenta's voice. Anger and dread welled up in her, she trusted Magenta not to tell damnit…

_"I know." _Warren replied. Her heart pound in her chest, was she that obvious? She had always tried not to let it show.

_"Dude, so basically you got a free weekend with her eh? So… did ya get lucky?" _Zack asked_. Zack knew?!_

_"What the hell? No! Dude you know I don't like her like that. She's just… you know… she's a dandelion-girl, I've got standards."_ Tears welled up in her eyes as his words rung in her head. Her friends' laughter echoed down the papers hallways, behind her the shoji to the living room opened and Ethan came out. She looked at him, trying to hold back the tears, and he looked at the door. He shook his head, frowning. He walked the ten feet to her and hugged her gently.

"I… I'm so sorry." He whispered in her ear, as she quietly sobbed on his shoulder, her friend's voices echoed fake sympathy at having Felicity crushing on him and joking about it. Behind her, her mom came to see if her daughter was alright.

"You two go ahead in her room, I'll send them off." Saeko said quietly to the two. Once on the other side of her door, they herd Mrs. MacLeod chase them out with a phony excuse of needing an extra hand in the dojo. They didn't question it, and the group was gone. Ethan, giving Felicity one more hug, excused himself. And Felicity was in her room alone.

When Saeko came back to see if her daughter was okay, she found her busy making tiny little stars out of brightly colored, metallic, or glittery, strips of paper.

"Baby, go take a hot bath and relax, I'll bring up a box of pocky for you." she cooed, and Felicity dumped the lap full of stars she had already made into a jar on her headboard and left to do as her mother advised. Saeko strictly monitored her daughter's consumption of sweets, but figured today she could be a bit lenient. When Felicity was in the bath and soaking, the older woman brought in a can of Coke and a box of Honey-Almond pocky. She kissed her daughter on the forehead and sighed.

"I wish I could protect you from stuff like that." She said softly.

"It hurts more knowing they didn't mean it to be hurtful." The daughter muttered grabbing a stick and munching on the sweet treat. Saeko nodded and left her to her bath. Some wounds need to be reopened to heal sometimes.

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Felicity nervously smoothed down her shirt and fluffed up her hair some more. She wore a light grey-green blouse shirt, which was designed to emphasize a minimal bust, with a light colored wife-beater underneath, over a pair of embroidered bellbottoms, sandals- her toes were cold- and tied it all off with a yellow bandanna which kept her pinned and sprayed hair back. It wasn't really all that cold, so it wasn't odd to not have a coat. But she kept one in her arms for later, incase it got colder. The large-ish, "aged", gold hoops she had dangling from her ears made kept making her want to turn her head.

Finally the bus arrived and Felicity made her timid way to the back of the bus, she gripped her backpack straps tighter, her fingers' itching to fold something, as was her nervous habit. Finally she made it to the back of the bus and sat down, hoping to shrink into the seat. Seats ahead of her Alicia Sinclair and her friends all took one look at the nicely dressed girl in the back and moved to sit next to her.

"Well, look who's trying to fit in now." Alicia cooed, not really being malicious, just teasing.

"It's not like that. Merlot's not letting me perform in the up coming concert if I don't dress nicer." Alicia was a somewhat friend of hers since they both were in choir together.

"Yeah, I heard about that." She said flatly. "I personally think it was a tad unfair, but you look fab today, so there was some positive." Felicity grinned and blushed at the comment.

"Well… I'm also kinda getting sick of the "not pretty enough" shit." She muttered, her mood darkening again as she thought of what she had over heard.

"Oh. What happened?" Alicia asked, noting the girl's expression.

"Oh… I just over heard some shit being said about me." Felicity explained what exactly was said, able to keep from crying by being furious over it.

"He said THAT to you?!" Melissa said, horrified.

"Well, not to, but about yeah."

"Girl, you are not sitting with them any more if they treat you like that." Angela said.

"Ah, Ethan didn't say anything; in fact, he comforted me a little bit." Angela grinned, she had danced with Ethan during her freshman homecoming, and she thought he was the best guy in the world.

"Mm, but you know what's missing from her outfit? Makeup." Felicity's eyes grew wide in alarm.

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When she got off the bus on to the floating fortress that was Sky High, she had been assured many times that she looked like a Movie Star.

She certainly felt like she was on stage. She must have been wearing ten pounds of various blushes and eyeshades and her head practically buzzed with the excess of knowledge about matching hues with tones. Since her bus had been late picking up the students, she didn't have time to do much before heading to class. She was also slightly amazed at the rest of the choir girls flocking around her, keeping nasty comments and others things at bay.

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Warren had begun to feel slightly worried, Felicity hadn't shown up yet, and class was about to begin in two minutes. And if she was late again, Ms. Lent would skin her alive, no matter how funny she was.

"Oh no Warren, bitch horde, dead ahead." Magenta quipped, pointing to Alicia's posse. Alicia was Warren's ex, but they remained on fairly good terms. Magenta hated her with a fiery passion. It was amusing. Felicity would have had a great joke about it.

"Oh, looks like they got some new girl. I don't recognize her." Magenta said peering to the heart of the crowd. Warren took a look and blinked, he knew that hair style… there's no way… It wasn't uncommon for her to hang with a few of her choir buddies, but… it wasn't possible, that chick was dressed nice, and had make-up on. Everything she didn't. There was no way that girl could be his Felicity.

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A deep feeling of dread and horror welled and churned in his stomach as the "new girl" took Felicity's seat. And he wasn't the only one shocked by her over night good looks. Magenta kept sending her death glares at the back of her head. Felicity completely blew off Layla, in fact the only person in the group she spared a moment to say hi to was Ethan. Who was strangely quiet and pissy today as well. When Ms Lent did her attendance, she did a triple take over Felicity. And it was even worse, all through out class, she was quiet. Not once did she make a wisecrack, or anything. It even put the teacher off her subject.

And it was like that in the classes he didn't have her in too. All of his friends complained about it at lunch, waiting for her to get there so they could start the inquisition. But she never sat down with them. When she came out of the line with her Chicken Alfredo, she sat down at Alicia's table! Magenta and Layla's jaws dropped and they looked at each other in surprise.

"What the hell? She gets a new look and suddenly she's too cool to sit with us?" Magenta scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Maybe she's sick of the double standard." Ethan growled. How could they say those things about her and not even acknowledge it the next day, like nothing happened? He got up and threw away his tray.

"See you in Science, Felicity!" He called out to her as he walked by her table; she called out a similar acknowledgement and returned to chattering away with her large group of girls who had gathered around her.

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Felicity felt like she was in some alternate reality. Not once did she wind up in the principal's office. Everyone kept doing double-takes at her. And she had a group of friends who weren't constantly griping about something. She let her mind fall into a blissful numb as Alicia chattered on about the new set of Stage Makeup her father bought her for the up coming concert. Like all of her teachers had in all of her other classes, Mrs. Merlot did a double take at her name, but instead of looking confused or shocked, she smiled warmly down at the girl and continued on. When roll was over, she put everyone to work on a bell assignment, and called Felicity over to her desk.

"Felicity, I'm so happy you decided to take up my deal. I'm sure your going to do wonderful in the concert." The teacher said. Felicity smiled weakly.

"Well, it's only the first day; I still have four more weeks to go." The student said softly.

"Very, true, but I know you can do it." The woman patted her on the hand and sent her off.

When class ended she met up with Ethan by her locker, who's own locker was two away, and they both went in to Mad Sciences together.

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Warren, who sat directly behind Felicity, was trying to get her attention. And it was only to be concluded that she was purposely ignoring him. Finally he leaned forward and grabbed a tuff of her softy curly puff ball and yanked on it.

"OW!" She howled, bringing the attention of the entire class as she whirled around on her stool and faced the annoying pyro. Medulla, who had been mid lecture on the chemical composition of the substance Kryptonite, sighed and broke up the impending argument before it could begin.

"Mr. Peace, though it is extremely tempting, please refrain from pulling Miss MacLeod's hair."

Warren huffed and sank back into his seat while Felicity returned to facing the whiteboard and taking notes.

Quickly Warren scribed a note to her and tossed it on her desk. Without even looking at it the girl flicked it into the trash with a boost from her powers. He scowled and tossed her another one. It met the same fate. He growled and was tempted to throw his entire note book at her.

"Mr. Peace! Is there going to be a problem?" Medulla snapped at him.

"No sir." Warren gave up contact with his estranged friend and sat through the lessons sulking.

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"So she totally blew you off?" Magenta said as Warren fumed in Gym. Will Layla and Zack all sat around waiting for Ethan, and listening in on the conversation.

"Yeah." He grumbled.

"Honestly! What the fuck's her problem? Is she Bipolar or something?"

"Yeah, hey where's Ethan?" Zack asked, looking around for his bespectacled friend.

"Sitting over there with Felicity and her new friends." Warren grumbled. Having spotted Felicity the instant she had come in the gymnasium.

"Oh, quit grumbling. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable reason she's not talking to us." Layla said, trying really hard not to be upset at the distance of one of her friends.

"Well I still say she's just being a bit-" Magenta sneered, cut off when Layla elbowed her hard and pulled the shorter girl over to whisper in her ear.

"I think Warren's taking this a little hard, so could you just shut the fuck up? Kindly please?" She hissed, getting sick of the girl's constant unfound assumptions. Felicity had to have a good reason; Layla knew the girl wasn't inclined to just randomly stop talking to people.

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Layla, who lived five blocks over, had run from her bus stop to Felicity's. When she got there, the girl was just about to turn into the driveway to her dojo-home.

"Felicity!" Layla called out, getting the attention of her friend. Any thoughts of sending the flower-child away drifted off as Layla puffed in deep breaths trying to regain control of her breathing.

"Er, do you need a glass of water?" Felicity asked, concerned by the dry gasps the redhead was making. Layla shook her head no.

"Why… why did you not talk to us today?" She gasped, doubled over with her hands on her knees for support. Felicity scowled.

"Because, I heard what you guys said Sunday." She said waspishly Layla paused looking up stricken.

"Oh Felicity… I'm soo sorry; we never meant to hurt you." She said, horrified.

"Well, you did. Just like you always do. I'm not perfect Layla, I have self-esteem issues. And every time you lot say something like that, I feel horrid. I've battled with being the "dandelion" girl for years. For you it's a charming little joke about my hair and body type. For me it's an insult I've lived with since first grade." Felicity's vision started to blur, and she knew that the mascara Alicia put her in that morning must have been down to her chin by then. She watched through teary eyes as Layla's face grew more and more stricken. When the redhead did nothing to defend herself, she turned and went inside her house.

"Felicity…" She said to soft to be heard, as the girl whirled around and stomped inside.

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This is a shorter chapter then I usually like. But hopefully it's just as good as the other two. Next Chapter the big stuff happens, Warren "figured" out why Felicity's not talking to him… so we get to see what his reactions are for his fuck up ;) And Layla tries like hell to get Felicity to accept her apology.


	4. Junior Kendo Champion

Okay and here's chapter four, remember review please, I need your feed back on what I should improve or change.

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By Wednesday Ethan had calmed down enough to start hanging out with the group again. With only minimal harassment from Magenta.

By Thursday Warren was at wits end, all week he had been trying to get Felicity to talk to him. And for all of his troubles… he suspected he was developing an ulcer by the pain in his stomach.

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Felicity, in the privacy of her secluded thoughts, couldn't help the small trill his heated gazes gave her. It was weird, but since she stopped hanging out with him so much, she was able to put her thoughts in cohesive order, and found his efforts to get her to talk to him annoyingly touching. It was like his school personality was so much more keen on her now that he had lost her as a friend… and dare she say it… his personalities seemed to have swapped. Now, outside of school he didn't call, or come by to talk or just hang out, or anything. And in school, he constantly kept bugging her with notes, and tugs, much more gently than the first time, on her hair, and he constantly stared at her. It was weird to say the least. Ethan even told her that he constantly talked about her too. Alicia said it was because he liked her… but if that was so then why did he say that horrid thing about her Sunday? And it wasn't like it was easy on her to leave them all behind either, she couldn't count how many times she caught herself about to turn around and… make a face at Magenta, or roll here eyes with Layla, or crack a joke to Warren, or shoot an amused grin to an equally smiley Will, or argue super origins with Zack or ask Ethan to fork over some notes for her to copy. And while she could do all those things with the Choir Girls, she really was only "friends" with them. Alicia being the exception and the one to keep her sanity going strong.

But with her excess of free time, she had done things she had been meaning to do, the sort of things you keep saying you've been meaning to do, but keep pushing off in favor of other things, like contacting her old middle school friends back on Japan, whom she had been horrified to learn that two of them were dead, and that one of the was pregnant and married, and that most of them had forgotten her. And cleaning out her closet and mailing Warren his Aerosmith shirt she stolen. That one she had managed to accomplish yesterday evening just before the post office closed. But sadly after last night, she had run out of things she had "been meaning to do". The house was spotless, immaculate; her mother had to dirty it up a bit just to feel comfortable, it was so clean. Her room was completely redone; everything had been rearranged, dusted, cleaned, polished, and organized to the point where her room smelled strongly of citrus cleaners and wax. Her wardrobe had been shuffled around so much that she now had everything alphabetically color arranged by type, in alphabetical order. Even the dojo's collection of bokens and daitos were repaired and polished to perfection. Her own professional quality daitos had been polished to a mirror reflective shine in the hardwood, and put in better quality then when she had first bought them. And her own kendo techniques practiced to perfection. She had even commented to her mother about wanting to compete again.

Oh yeah, her life was spiraling out of control, but she was doing a fantastic job masking it.

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"Once again Felicity! And from the top!"

"Sorry!"

"Oh don't be silly dear it wasn't your fault. So from the beginning again."

Once again the music started and abruptly before she could get the first line out the music scratched and stopped.

"JON! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING BACK THERE?!"

"Sorry Auntie, but I can't figure out what's wrong!" Jon called out from inside the smoking sound booth.

"Well from here I can see you've got it wired wrong and if you start the music one more time, you'll be buying new equipment." Felicity called from the stage.

"Oh what the fuck do you know bitch?" He snapped.

"I work in a recording studio dumbass." She mocked him.

"Fine you're so fucking smart, you come back here and fix this shit!" He snapped and Felicity came back, stomping.

"Holy shit! You fried it!"

"Holy shit you fried it!" He mocked her. She glared at him and started pulling out plugs, grumbling and chewing him out over all the incorrectly plugged plugs as she went. Finally when she got everything in working order she turned it on, listening in through the headphones in the booth.

"I got it working Mrs. Merlot. But it won't last long. I can talk to the studio and maybe get them to loan us a new sound system, but if we get one, I don't want this idiot touching my babies." She said to the teacher who came back to see the damage. He glared at her and started to defend himself to his aunt.

"All I want to know is will it work for the concert?"

"No." Both Felicity and Jon said.

"Then, what about getting it fixed? I really don't want to spend an evening staying after and setting up a new one, especially a loaner."

"Don't worry I can come in on a Saturday and do it myself. And teach Jon here the controls and set up procedure." Felicity assured her teacher.

"Oh would you dear? Of course it'll be for extra credit." Felicity smiled.

"Sure, just let me make a call and see if I can get one." Felicity excused herself and called up her boss.

_"Tony here."_

_"Hey Tony it's Felicity, listen a rookie just blew up our sound system at my school, do you have a decent loaner we can borrow until it's replaced?"_

_"Uh… let me check… are you going to try and fix it?"_

_"Doubt it. It's like ten years old."_

_"Ah, well… we have a brand new Gibson, fully equipped I can loan ya, but you have to guard that thing with your life, one tiny bit of damage and you bought __it with your next year's__ paychecks."_ Felicity winced.

"_Anything cheaper? This guy's not really respectful of technology."_ She felt like telling him he used to be a turntable DJ, but she needed that soundboard.

"_Sorry sweetheart, it's all I got left."_ Damn…

"_Alright, I'll scare the balls off him so he treats it like a baby bird."_ She promised and hung up.

"Alright, I managed to get a really good one. But you gotta take excellent care of it, or else I'll make you pay for it got it?" Jon scoffed.

"How much can it be huh? Oh no! A hundred dollars-"

"Twelve thousand."

"TWEVLE THOUSAND?!" He squeaked.

"Felicity, we can't accept that! What if something goes wrong and we damage it!"

"We have a month, we can fundraise!"

"Twelve thousand dollars?"

"I have an employee discount; I get sixty percent off all merchandise for being a two year employee and having paid for the technical training to operate recording studio technology." Felicity said simply. "So really it's less then six thousand for me…. It's… carry the two… forty-eight hundred. So roughly five thousand dollars isn't hard." Mrs. Merlot opened her mouth for a rebuttal when they hard an ominous cracking sound. As if in slow motion the three of them turned to look as one of the stages support beams started to crack underneath the choir.

"GET OFF THE STAGE!" Felicity roared running to the breaking stage. All the girls who were getting off when it cracked started to hurry, except one girl who was having a hard time moving in her high heels. Felicity jumped on the stage to throw the final girl off when it gave out and she fell.

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"Warren!" Layla yelped, nearly crashing into him when she stopped short of the group. "There was an accident! The stage collapsed with Felicity on top of it." Sheer unadulterated panic swept through the group when they heard that.

"Is she okay?" Magenta asked shakily. When Layla had told the group about her over hearing their conversation Sunday night, she had felt horrible and stopped talking crap about the half-Japanese girl. They all figured to give her a few days to recover, but Warren and Layla seemed convinced that she would never speak to them again.

"I… I don't know. She was taken to the nurse's office. So I don't think it was life threatening. But she wasn't conscious either." Layla bit her nails in nervousness. "Should we go see her?" Warren, whose mind had crashed when he heard that one of his friends was seriously injured, finally snapped out of his trance.

"I think it'd do more damage if we didn't. She may yell at us for being there, but at least she can't later say we weren't." Will said, wondering what was going through his pyrokinetic friend's mind. Will was possibly the only one who knew the full extent of his friends… dare he say it… angst… over Felicity's sudden change in attitude towards him. In fact it had become so bad when he was at home, and more susceptible to dropping his guard and letting his emotions run free, that his mother had called the Stronghold prodigy and begged him to take Warren out of the house and cheer him up. Not that it worked, after all, the senior had known his friend since freshman year; he knew how to read the perpetually non-emoting boy's emotions well. And though he knew his efforts were appreciated, in Warren's own small subtle way, he was never as good at spiting out his thoughts and feelings with Will like he had been with Felicity, and Will wondered if it was merely a lack of estrogen, or the subconscious thought that, maybe his words didn't penetrate her almost obscenely fluffy-hair. Regardless of the Whether to's and Why fore's, Will actually found himself missing that aspect of Felicity's friendship, she kept Warren emo-free and relatively sane by giving him an outlet to pour emotions. Which was just awkward with anyone else. Because the thought of Warren Peace angsting over something, was just flat out scary.

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When Felicity came to, she was startled to have a large group of people hanging around her. Not only was the entire choir plus teacher in there, but the drama teacher, the concert band director- who was not small-, Principal Powers, and Will and the Gang. Including Nurse Spex, who was royally POed about the large group of people crowding her out, and her interns. Felicity was also very pleased- okay she still had a crush on the guy, it had only been four days since she decided to get over him- that Warren had parked it in a chair and was holding her hand.

"Listen! I cannot simply heal her, You see this ligament? It's inflamed, healing it wont work, she needs to rest, off her feet for a week at least! I mean it! And it looks like she might have a hairline fracture on the bone right there, no to mention the deep tissue, muscle, and bone bruising! This girl will not walk for AT LEAST a week! And she will be on crutches for at least one more week after that!" The aging nurse barked.

"We've been telling you for years we need new stage equipment! It was just a matter of time before that damn thing collapsed, and it was only by this girl's quick thinking that we didn't have an even worse tragedy and have the stage collapse under the entire choir!" The drama teacher shouted at Powers.

"Do you know what atypically happens when you get ten plus bodies failing on top of each other? The ones on the bottom usually die! If this girl hadn't shouted for them to get off we would have had some real damage! Just think of the lawsuit we might face because of this!" the Band director hissed.

"What about Felicity?! She can't walk right now! What about her?! It's all well and fine to worry about stages and lawsuits but what about the student who did end up getting hurt?!!!" Mrs. Merlot yelled over everyone.

"LISTEN! I have a strict budget I have to request from the government, which they then review and send me back a prewritten check for whatever it is they think is reasonable. FOR YEARS I have put New Theater Equipment and the top of the request form, and keep denying me the grant. I am GOING to find the person who keeps not sending the money and wring his neck! Because, I am now under indictment for embezzlement, because apparently they keep sending me the money, but our stage is antiquated." She snapped, sounding less and less professional and more and more unhinged.

"Hey everybody, Felicity's awake." Alicia broke the dead silence that had settled over the group. The nurse shooed the teachers and some of the extra people out of the room to give her patient some semblance of privacy.

"Hey how are you?" The girl she had saved… Amy… asked.

"Sleepy." Felicity mumbled, rubbing her eye with a fist.

"It's to be expected." The nurse spoke to everyone. "You have a concussion dear, you'll feel a little sleepy, and probably a little light headed and disoriented for a while. But you need to stay alert." She said gently to the prone girl. To her friends she spoke. "The only reason I'm allowing you all in here is because I suspected she might have one, keep talking to her, do not let her fall asleep." And the woman turned to get some pain killers for her patient; she would be needing them after the shock wore off.

Felicity looked at Warren. She was mad at him, she knew that, but she was far too tired to bother with why.

"I'm mad at you, but I'm too sleepy to remember why." Warren just squeezed her hand. Nurse Spex came back with a little paper cup filled with water and two chalky white pills.

"Now these are a vicadin derivative." She told pouring the pills into her outstretched hand. "Short of Morphine, these are the strongest medication I can give you. Now I caution you, they may make you loopy and even a little nauseous. If it's anything you feel you can't handle you tell me on one of my visits, and I'll swap out the prescription." She said, waiting for the girl to swallow the medicine before continuing. "Now, then," she continued after she made sure the medicine went down. "I've taken the liberty of calling your mother, and she's coming up here to get you. You are to stay off your feet, regardless, even if the house is burning down got it? Okay off you feet for a week, and the Monday after next you can come back, but you will be needing crutches and someone to open doors and carry your stuff for you. Your teachers have already been notified of your absence and conditions of your return. Stairs are an "absolutely not". And you will receive a pass for the elevator, for any upper and lower level classes you have. Any questions?" Felicity blinked and responded.

"Did anybody write that down?"

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On there way out, the group was enjoying a respite from her silence. Since she couldn't remember why she was mad at them, she decided it must have been stupid and neglected to keep up her silence momentarily.

"Yeah, it's a good thing your hairs so freaking bushy." Warren crowed, well as much as he would, carrying her to the flying car waiting to take her home. "It protected your skull!" Felicity frowned, now remembering why she was mad at them.

"Now I remember why I'm mad at you." She said after he placed her in the seat and helped her strap in. "You're mean to me." And she closed the door.

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Ethan laughed as Felicity told another joke while he rearranged her room yet again to accommodate the large influx of presents and well-wishing cards. Ethan, who was not very muscular at all, finally dropped the white table underneath her window and began to put all of the plants on it so they could get sunlight. His blue orchid went next to the Mini-dwarf white Rosebush Warren bought her and the purple and yellow daisies (all potted) Zack and Magenta had given. Which was behind the funky mini Banzai tree Layla and Will had bought, and the African Violets Alicia had sent over. On the Wall adjacent to her bed, three separate fish tanks sat. All purchased by the gang, A black and red Beta from Warren whom circled his little castle like a dragon guarding a treasure, which the small piece of tape stuck to her top of his tank read Ryuu. An orange and white Clownfish she named Julius, because he reminded her of Orange Julius', and a yellow and Purple sunfish she dubbed Morbo the Destroyer. She had to keep Julius in between Morbo the Destroyer and Ryuu, because they kept trying to beat each other up through the glass. Both of them left Julius alone because all he did was swim in little circles through his live seaweed, courtesy of Layla. A grey and white patched kitten lay curled up underneath her bed, as a thank you from Amy. Who was now embellishing the story to the point that Felicity had pulled her out from underneath a burning beam. She named the kitten Botan after her mom made the comment about her being as cute and as sweet as one. Botan had at her tiny little claws' mercy underneath the bed, a stuffed bear Warren had given her. The story she had managed to get (read: torture) out of Ethan was that the Pyro actually went inside the Build-a-Bear store and made her one, and had dragged the smaller, much more timid, boy along to help him out. And was threatened death if anyone ever found out he had done that.

"Knock Knock!" Saeko rapped on the door. "I come bearing more gifts left on the doorstep, snacks, and a corkboard to pin the cards up on." She managed to open the door and come in. She dropped the baskets and the plate of apple slices, and grabbed the board leaning against the wall outside.

"Hm.. let's put it above fish-san." She said, leaning the board against the dresser the fish sat on, and going to get a step ladder. Ethan munched on the apple slices while Felicity checked out her gift baskets.

"Ooh! Someone sent me a laptop!" she squealed opening the letter attached to the box.

"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, your story made the local newspaper's "Hero of the Week" segment this morning. Every Friday they print out a segment called "Hero of the Week" were people send in stories of things other people have done for them and the winner each week gets their story in the paper and a gift. I guess since you're a student they sent you a laptop." Ethan said, grabbing his can of coke and taking a thirsty swig.

"Ah, I'm in the newspaper?"

"Yeah." Ethan smiled and nodded.

"Sweet!" Saeko, having finally found the stepladder stuffed behind the washer, came in and asked.

"What's sweet?"

"I'm in the newspaper!" She said pulling out the copy of the article for her mom to see. Her Mom set up the step ladder and turned to take the article.

"Wow!" she said after reading some of it. "This is a pretty glowing article." Felicity blushed, and turned to pick up her mewling kitten, who had abandoned the bear in favor of having her ears scratched by her mistress. Botan closed her blue eyes, which was why Amy gave her "savior" Botan, and purred as one of Felicity's fingers rubbed the dark patch of fur over her right eye. Saeko got the board up in place, with Ethan helping to keep it from falling on the fish tanks, and pinned the Article dead in the center of the board. Grabbing the large box of designer thumbtacks the two pined the large mass of cards up on the board while Felicity fiddled with the radio at the head of her board. Soon her wall above her fish looked like a giant collage of thanks and wishes of speedy health recovery.

"Oh, by the way, Layla called, she wanted to know if it was okay for her and the others to come over. " Felicity looked at Ethan and sighed.

_Well, I can't very well not talk to them after all the presents they sent over…_ She sighed and told Ethan to call them over.

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"Wow someone made out like a bandit." Magenta said looking at the constantly growing pile of gifts.

"Yeah, no shit." Felicity said as her mom came to deliver yet another load of presents. "Could you guys help me sort them all out? I'd do it, but I can't even move my leg hurts so bad."

"Oh, so you just wanted manual labor." Layla said teasing her.

"Poor Ethan's been working his butt off, so consider it a down payment on that apology you've all been trying to cram down my throat." There were grumbles, but they all began organizing things into "Haven't been opened", "Keepers", and "Trash" piles. Warren and Will started hauling things out into the trash when the pile got too big. Finally even Zack and Ethan had to help with the trash pile, leaving Layla and Magenta in the room with Felicity.

"Who are the roses from?" Magenta asked, taking a break from sorting, and leaning against the table of flowers.

"The White ones? Warren."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I know. And that's not all he gave me. See the black and red fish over there underneath the cards?" Magenta and Layla huddled around the fish tank with the tape band reading Ryuu on it.

"Wow." They both said watching the fish flare his plum and swim menacingly toward the glass before whirling around and going back to his castle.

"It's a Warren-fish." Layla joked, causing giggles around the room.

"Oh? Are we taking a break?" Will asked walking into the room and sitting down on a zabuton.

"Warren got Felicity a beta fish!" Layla said, wanting one.

"I'd get you one too, but I'm kinda broke till next payday." Will commented.

"Oh yeah. Did you name the fish we gave you?" Felicity flicked a finger to the tape label on her middle fish's tank.

"Yeah, his name is Julius… " Magenta said reading the label before turning to look at the one her and Zack gave. Immediately she started snorting and laughing.

"She named the one we gave her Morbo the Destroyer." She laughed at the ridiculous name. Quietly Zack leaned down to talk to her in private.

"Uh yeah, just to let you know, we caught…Morbo… so if he gets sick I doubt you'll be able to take him back." Felicity nodded.

"Understood." She said, randomly grabbing a present from her pile. The box's tag read that it was from the Drama club.

"OOH! Incense!" She squealed smelling the box.

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Finally after two days the gifts stopped. And a rather overwhelmed Felicity had pleaded with her mother to not buy her anything for her birthday… or even possibly Christmas. Nurse Spex came the day before, and said she was healing fine and would probably be walking around Wednesday. Her boss called in the afternoon to tell her that she was fine for sick leave and that he wished her a speedy recovery and that the sound board was ready for her to pick up and take to school at her discretion. She told him next Saturday, if not Friday. She called her choir teacher, and told her the news, and thanked her for the box of chocolates, and that yes, she had been flooded with presents and cards, even from people she didn't know. Warren came by once more, but she was so out of it on her pain killers that she didn't even know he was there.

On Wednesday, as Nurse Spex predicted, her leg, which still throbbed and ached, was sound enough to use crutches on. And for the first time in a week, Felicity was able to get out of bed and go to the bathroom by herself. She felt immensely accomplished.

By Thursday she was officially stricken with Cabin Fever and called up Mrs. Merlot to see if she could send Jon over to do some lifting because she had the system ready for delivery.

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"Man you are one tough ass chick." Jon whistled, getting a good eyeful of her swollen discolored leg, as he helped Felicity into his truck.

"What this? This is nothing, I used to do Kendo tournaments with broken fingers and toes." He did a double take.

"You did Kendo?"

"Still do, though I haven't competed in ages."

"So you fought through the pain of having some dude break your fingers?"

"Yeah, but sometimes you were so into the match you wouldn't notice."

"How old were you?" He asked, finally remembering to start the automobile.

"Ah my last tournament was when I was twelve. I was the Junior Kendo Champion of the Tokugawa District for five years and Japan's Junior National 's League Champion once. But I am hopeful that when I enter the tournaments next year, I can win the Adults National."

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Okay! And that's chapter 4.

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Explanations:

Ryuu means Dragon (that was somewhat of a gimme)

And Botan means Button; it also is a delicious Asian candy. Just remember, you don't need to peel off the inner wrapper.

Oh! And obscure Japanese Grammar reference in relation to "Fish-san", The Japanese do not put plural tenses on their words. So when they say, for continued reference, "fish-san" it's fish-san not fish-sans


	5. Paper Folding Warrior

Okay, uhm here's chapter five, if I end up getting this out late, I'm sorry, but updates are going to be more infrequent, which is bad for me, because I walk away for a day, and it's hard to get back into writing unless I get a wave of reviews flooding in. So please bear with me if I suddenly drop of the face of the earth for a few days. I'm having technological issues. For instance, I have to pay to have my Wii repaired… I never bought it in the first place; I won it in a raffle. I have to pay to get my free Wii repaired… I am soo pissed off about this! And my PC! UAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Deep breath

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"Oh. My. God. You are like soo brave to go out in public looking like that." Some snotty blonde girl sneered at Felicity as she slowly managed her way to the auditorium where the stage was. Felicity, for the most part, was ignoring her until she felt the bitch kick her injured leg.

She screamed in pain, drawing her choir girls around instantly. Tears welled in Felicity's eyes as she drew blood from her lip, biting it hard to keep the pain down.

"Oh my god! Sabrina you bitch! Can't you see she injured you whore?" Amy hissed at the new girl.

"Well, she was like totally ignoring me." The girl huffed, crossing her arms and pouting.

"That's not an excuse Dolman. If I catch you doing anything to Felicity while she's hurt, I'll freeze your lips shut… got it?" Alicia growled, propping the severely hurt girl up.

"Who was that?" Felicity managed after sitting down for a moment and pressing a paper towel to her lips.

"Sabrina Dolman, a real spoilt brat too. Thinks she's God's gift to the musical world. Not an ounce of actual talent though. She blends her voice in with the crowd to make it seem like she sings like an angel." Alicia bit her own lip, wondering if she should tell Felicity the bad news.

"Whatever, I don't care if she wants to start shit, I'll end it." The fluffy-haired girl promised before getting up and balancing on her crutches. "Care to join me in setting up our new sound system?" Alicia, sensing that her friend really just wanted to get this done with nodded and the two made their slow way to wherever Jon had set up the equipment.

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"Hey Oh-fluffy-haired-guru-of-sound-technology." The recently graduated super called out teasingly. "I heard screaming, what's up?"

"New girl decided she didn't like that I didn't burst into tears over her assessment of my outfit and kicked me in the leg." Jon frowned, as he looked up from the set up manual and gave her a once over to see if she was fine. Her lip was bloodied, but otherwise she was.

"What a bitch." He finally said. While he still didn't really care much for her, she was alright… and it definitely wasn't cool, some chick kicking an injured person.

"I'll live, remember? I used to do Kendo with broken fingers." She proclaimed before sitting down on top of one of the new wulfers included with the set.

"Okay, now take that red wire your holding and plug it in the second red plug to the end on the right…"

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"Waaarrreeeennnn!!!" Sabrina cried as she latched herself on the reluctant pyro during lunch. "Some nasty bitch in Choir was being horrid to me!" He sighed and rolled his eyes, too lazy to do anything about her unwelcomed affection.

"And I care why?" He asked irritably.

"Because silly! You're my boyfriend!"

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By the time Monday rolled around Felicity was ready to go back to school, as horrid and out of character that was for her.

"Hey Felicity! I'm glad you're feeling better!" And by the hundredth time she heard that line that morning, she was quite content to go back to bed, and stay there for a week or two more.

"Felicity!" Magenta called out, waving frantically at the crutched girl. Felicity came over to her recently un-estranged friends and greeted them all.

"Ugh what are you doing here bitch? Shoo go away no one wants you here gimpy." Sabrina said, clinging to Warren like a parasite.

"You two have met?" Ethan said a look of intense displeasure written across his face.

"See the lovely shade of green my leg has become?" Felicity asked, lifting her leg for all to see from below her skirt hem. "Now notice the large deep purple patch right there? Yeah… that's her work." All of her friends gasped and Magenta turned on Sabrina.

"Oh my God. You kicked an injured person?!"

"Uh, can we like skip the re-run lecture?" She sighed, rolling her eyes and scoffing. Felicity was tempted to strangle the little bitch, but restrained herself because there was no way she could move fast enough to catch the brat.

"Right… Hey what are you plans for Halloween? Cause I was planning a movie marathon… you know no trick-or-treating for me this year." She joked.

"Uh, they're all coming over to my estate for a fancy dress party. Of course I'd invite you but… there's stairs everywhere, and we wouldn't want you getting hurt again." She faked a smile that was everything but sincere.

"Movies sound great what time?" Ethan Zack and Magenta all said at the same time. Felicity suppressed the grin, and thought for a moment.

"I don't know, Since Halloween's this Friday, we don't have to worry about school the next day, I say about… five? And everyone brings at least one horror film?"

"Sound great!" "I can't wait!" "All right!" They all said at once. The half-girl laughed and excused herself to Heroic English IV.

"Oh my god! I like can't believe you guys! You all like said you'd go to my party!" Sabrina cried crocodile tears. Continuing the act she ran off, "sobbing".

"Uh when did we even know about her party?" Zack asked scratching his head.

"That's because she made it up to be a bitch to Felicity." Magenta responded giving the direction Sabrina had fled the "Evil Eye".

"Still guys, you didn't need to be so blatantly cruel to her." Layla said, fighting hard to be sympathetic. Layla was perhaps the only person in the group convinced of the blonde's "humanity".

"So you coming to the movie marathon?' Magenta asked the nature-girl, completely ignoring the previous comment.

"Mmm… I really don't like Horror Films at all… so I'm going to take a rain check."

"Will? Warren?"

"No, sorry. Parents volunteered me to take the neighborhood kids trick-or-treating this year, while their super parents are out patrolling." Will said, moaning at the thought of having to baby-sit super-powered tykes.

"Ah, sure, Mrs. Heung gave me the afternoon shift so I got the evening off. I can bring over some food on my way over after work." Magenta Zack and Ethan cheered. Layla couldn't help but smile, even though they were totally rude to Sabrina. But it wasn't like she didn't deserve it, the blonde bombshell-wannabe was as nasty as they came, but still, Layla would try to be friends with her. It wasn't within the redhead's genetic make-up to not try and befriend the friendless.

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"I just can't get you out of my head,

Boy your lovin's all I think about…" Felicity snickered along with the rest of the class as Mrs. Lent sang along with Kylie Minogue. Today she had decided to call a "study hall/ free day" which basically meant they were free to do as they pleased for the hour. The some how they all ended up doing a impromptu sing off competition, as random people kept plugging and unplugging their iPods into Felicity's new laptop and letting random songs play on her iTunes, while she surreptitiously stole them and recorded the singers onto her hard drive with her cell phone, which was hooked up to a live feed on her laptop. Mrs. Lent bowed and there was calls for the nest singer to go up.

"Warren!" Felicity called out, causing the class to irrupt with laughter.

"No way on hell." He ground out.

"Please?" she begged, pouting.

"Hell no."

"Come on. Warren! Warren! Warren!" Magenta started up the chant.

"I will do any song you choose if you get up there and do one I choose, and I promise it won't be bad." Felicity tempted.

"Any song I choose?" He asked, an evil glint in his eye. Felicity resisted the urge to gulp and nodded.

"Any." She said braver then she felt.

"Alright." He got up and faced the class as everyone went dead silent. Felicity flicked through her own music library till she found the song she was looking for. As the first twangs of the guitar erupted over the dead silent class, Warren took off his jacket and tossed it on the table next to Felicity, giving her a whiff of his after shave pushed to her nose from the displacement of air. Silently she began to swoon, and then he started singing.

"Feels like you made a mistake,

You made somebody's heart break.

But now I have to let you go,

I have to let you go." She felt her jaw drop. He was good. Incredible even… His voice blended perfectly with Rob Thomas' as he sang the song Disease. When the shock wore off a collective cheer from all the females in the class, encouraged the arsonist. Magenta ran up behind Felicity and whispered in her ear.

"You are getting this on camera right?" She barely had the brain function left to nod.

"I want copies." By the time he was done the entire class was dancing along and cheering him.

"Okay Choir-girl, your turn." He took her laptop away from her and scrolled though the hundreds of songs she had downloaded for free until he found the song he wanted. She got up in front of the class and smiled nervously, wondering what song he would pin her on. To her dread, Britney Spears' _Slave 4 U_

"Warren you jerk! I gave you a decent song!" She fumed at him. He just laughed and called back

"You said any song I chose, so start singing!" She shot him one more nasty look and began, mid line. The class whooped and cat-called and wolf-whistled over her song and when she finished she punched him and sat down, letting him pull her into a one armed semi hug, which really did little more then make her grin as her head lolled around.

"Magenta! Get up there!"

"Not if you want to keep your ear drums." She threatened.

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Felicity savagely tore into her lunch as she tried to ignore Sabrina cooing and crawling all over her Warren… yes damnit _her_ Warren. If he was going to go making getting over him hard by singing and being all Warren-sexy, then damnit she laid claim.

"Felicity. What did the sandwich every do to you?" Alicia asked as she daintily ate her petite chicken salad.

"Stupid blonde bimbo with her obnoxiously large boobs, and obnoxiously empty head, and her obnoxious sluttiness." She grumbled as she slammed down her can of soda.

"Okay… someone needs a punching bag and soon." She said as the half Japanese girl got up and threw her lunch away. She returned and sat down hard, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting in anger.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" Felicity sighed and decided to open up.

"It's just, I've been getting so many mixed signals from him. One moment it's cool between us, and the next, he acts like I'm his everything, well not quite that bad but… close enough for him I guess. Like when I was out hurt, he sent me an indoors white rosebush, a beta fish, and a bear he made himself, _at the build-a-bear workshop._ For the week I wouldn't talk to him, he constantly bugged me, constantly tried to talk to me. And during class today, _he sang,_ because I asked him to, well, okay, bargained, but still… and then he lets her grope all over him." She finished waving her hand at Sabrina who did indeed look like she was groping herself on him. But as far as Alicia could see, he wasn't appreciating it.

"Do you have a picture of this bear and a video of this singing?" She asked.

"On my laptop in my locker, I'll show you during choir." Her ire pushed aside for later at the memory of Warren kicking Rob Thomas' vocal ass. It would be something she would never in a million years delete. She will show it to her grand kids. _"And this is were I got Barron Battle's son to sing in class…"_

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The entire choir was in stitches as a big black kid sang Cher's "_Do you believe in life after love?__" _in a rather high pitched voice.

"All right girls, we really need to start practicing, so Felicity, close your laptop and everyone follow me." Mrs. Merlot said leading the class out the back door to the auditorium.

The stage was covered in scaffolding as the AP Woodshop class set about rebuilding the frame work underneath, replacing all the rotted and damaged boards, with steal pipes and new planks of wood. Hopefully it would be done soon, but they still had to reschedule the concert due to booking an offsite theater to hold the now Christmas concert, instead of the Halloween concert. Inside the brand new sound booth was set up and Jon stood on tall ladders hooking the lights up to the board.

"Jon! Are the new mikes ready yet?" Mrs. Merlot called up to her nephew.

"Not quite Auntie. But there aren't enough for everyone to have a headset at the same time anyways." He called from around a particularly large and heavy looking light fixture. Felicity, seeing her opportunity, sat down in one of the chairs in the audience, and pulled her laptop open again.

"Mrs. Merlot. I can patch a feed into my laptop and record a cd of all the songs we're singing."

"That's a nice idea dear, but I still haven't decided who's doing what or when." The older woman said, sighing. "This whole affair's a mess," she muttered "I'd love to just cancel it and be done and get back to sleeping eight hours a night, but in the history of Sky High we have never canceled a concert. Even when there was only fifteen people in the audience, or when over half the people performing were stricken with strep, we still performed. But this year? Our sound system blows up, and right after we got that taken care of our stage collapses, and it takes one of my definite leads out with it, what next? They demolish the theater we booked for room for a Walmart parking lot?" She rubbed her eyes and told the girls to practice their songs on their own while she visited the Nurses office for aspirin. Felicity politely feigned oblivion to her teacher's outspoken thoughts and turned to configuring her laptop, since she already had the songs she wanted to request down pat.

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Henrietta Merlot heaved a great sigh as she flopped down into a nice plush chair in the teachers lounge. Slovenly she propped her, now shoeless, feet up in an adjacent seat and sighed.

"Tough day Henrietta?" Quincy asked looking up from his large stack of test papers he needed to grade.

"Yeah," she sighed again "I'm thoroughly tempted to cancel the concert with all the hell we've been going through this year. But my girls are really looking forward to it." Quincy nodded sympathetically.

"Yes, Miss MacLeod was going to be one of your leads right?"

"Hell, I'm considering her for THE lead if she keeps up the good attitude and dressing nicely like that. I'm soo happy and proud that she's been dressing better and looking, even if I did have to threaten kicking her out of the concert."

"You better not let Susan hear that, she might not like you to meddle in the affairs of students lives." He cautioned.

"Probably, but the girl needed a change. I just instigated it."

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Since it would be asinine of Felicity to participate in Gym, she was free to leave early sixth period until the nurse cleared her for participation. So every day she got on the early release bus, who was there for sick kids who need to go home and students who have notes and such, and would spend twenty minutes watching clouds turn into the trees of her neighbor's Yard, and then would, clumsily, manage to get off the bus and hobble on her crutches into her house. And today was no exception.

Except that her favoritest uncle was there to carry her off the bus.

"UNCLE GOEMON!" She cried wrapping her arms around the samurai's neck.

"Hello Felicity." He smiled warmly down on her and kissed her on top of her head. The tall man carried his niece into the house, along with her backpack and crutches, and set her down around the table for an after school snack. Moments later an Okonomyaki was placed in front of her. Hastily she bit into the delectable pizza-like food substance and chewed quietly while her uncle described his travels around the world.

"Oh! The reason I'm here." He said when her Mother came in the room. "Is I have a present for you, from your father." Felicity stopped all together, not even her heart was beating as she processed the information.

"From Dad?" she finally got out. Goemon nodded and excused himself from the room.

"Mum! I have a present from Dad! What do you think it is?" Saeko honestly shrugged, she was every bit as anxious as her daughter. Minutes Later Goemon came out with a beautiful black katana.

"This was left in my care by your father before he died." He explained handing it to Felicity. She took the smooth scabbard in her hands, marveling at its form and beauty. On one side of the scabbard was a black and white inlayed Yinyang symbol. And on the other was the inlayed kana for Origami and Samurai.

"There's also an engraving on the blade. Your father asked me to give it to you, after you completed your first heroic task." Felicity slid the blade out of the sheathe and read out loud.

_"To my Paper Folding Warrior,_

_I will always love you._

_Dad."_ Tears cracked Felicity's voice as she finished reading and short inscription.

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Aw, soo touching.

Well sorry about it being late, I knew it would be. Still review. And I will try my hardest to get the next chapter out on time. Also, I didn't do as much with Sabrina was I would have liked to, but I am planing her future aggravations. MUAHAHAHAHAAA! -cough- oh my... and no Sabrina's not really Warren's girlfriend, she just said she was... Why? She's not terribly bright...

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Explinations:

Okonomyaki, is literally a Japanese version of pizza.

And yes, I stole Goemon's character... somewhat... not really... he's very loosly based off another character okay?

Oh and yes, Warren can in fact sing. Would he? Probably not in a million years, but Steven Straight, his actor, can, and is in fact in a band called Tribal. So yes, Warren Peace can sing...


	6. Kiss the Girl

And again so sorry this one's late, but you understand why… I hope. Review for faster updates!

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On Tuesday, Nurse Spex said that it was obvious the fracture in her shin was not in any danger of becoming a break and that a significant amount of the swelling had gone down, so she allowed one of her Interns to heal it a majority of the way. Which meant that for the first time in what felt like years, Felicity was allowed to participate in Gym since she was allowed to climb the bleachers.

"Felicity!" Ethan called out, waving to the girl. She waved and began her ascent on the stair to their place.

"Wow, no crutches!" Magenta congratulated.

"Yeah I know, I'm still sore as hell but I'll get over it." She said, giving the purple loving girl a quick hug.

"Uh, excuse me! Your freakin bush-hair's like blocking my view." Sabrina hissed, kicking Felicity in the back.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!" Felicity responded, knowing it would irk the girl more than anything else she could have said.

"Ugh, At least I don't look like a freakin Dandelion." Sabrina hissed back.

"Bakayaro." Felicity hissed under her breath, as Warren extracted his arm from the bimbo's clutches.

"Don't ever call her that again or I'll barbeque you." He growled at the bitch.

"Oh Warren-boo. I like totally love you!" She simpered, clinging to him again.

"Gag." Felicity muttered, biting back her rage and jealousy, to Zack and Magenta. The two snickered and returned to watching the match. Fifteen minutes left till the end of the class, boomer called out two new contestants for the game.

"Dolman and…. MacLeod, you're looking sound enough to complete." Felicity hissed an expletive in surprise as the two girls got up to go to the arena.

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Gingerly the still damaged girl bounced on her bad leg, testing to see if she would be able to do this. Pain shot up her leg, but it was a dull pain of unused muscles and stretching and contorting epidermis contusions. She'd be able to run if need be. Plus she always carried a package of origami grade paper with her, it was just a given. Being that her powers were over paper. Felicity wondered what bimbo's powers were. She couldn't be a sidekick, she was far too cocky to be in that social rung and have been in this school for two weeks now with no actual hero-class friends. The self-dubbed Origami Samurai felt a swell of guilt over her treatment of the girl, she didn't have many actual friends, in fact the group mostly put up with her on Layla's request, the constant _"one more week__, I promise if she doesn't get better by one week__ we'll ditch her."_

"I like know you have this really stupid power and all, and like totally should be a sidekick and all. But, even though I hate you, I will like totally defend you because you're like my baby-boo-Warren's friend-project." Guilt gone, replaced by homicidal rage.

"Just focus on getting the dummy. " Felicity resisted being juvenile and adding the term Dummy onto the end of the sentence.

The whistle broke off Bimbo's reply and their opponents charged. In an instant a paper shurinkan solidified to a hardness similar to tempered steel, and it flew from her fingers, hitting the skinny boy in the arm, drawing blood. He roared and ripped it out, Felicity watched in morbid fascination as the wound closed with a hissing smoking effect. Suddenly he was on her, a furry of punches and kicks.

Summoning a majority of her paper in to the shape of a pole, Felicity took a Kendo stance, and whacked away, beating the boy into submission. Off in the distance Bimbo was proving herself to be a literal airhead as she zipped around about ten feet off the ground, out of the guys grasp, taunting him.

"IDIOT! GRAB THE DUMMY!" Felicity barked at the Tinkerbelle wannabe.

"IF I COULD, DON'T YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE?!" She bellowed back, apparently her opponent had the ability to cast about concussion bolts, and was doing a great job of keeping the blonde away from the ever dropping Dummy. Cursing in Japanese, Felicity did an under cut and caught the poor unsuspecting boy in between the legs. The crowd "ooh"ed and winced in pain as even Boomer flinched. The guy was down and out for the count. Not bothering to apologize for her dishonorable move, Felicity ran to distract the other boy. She did a running jump and brought her hardened paper pole down on his head. He collapsed and Sabrina flew over and pulled the dummy from his one foot distance between him and certain doom.

"AND HE'S SAFE! DOLMAN AND MACLEOD ARE OUR NEW WINNERS!" Boomer bellowed. "Some one go help those two up off the floor." He called out in reference to the two unconscious boys.

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"Did you HAVE to knock his balls up into the skull?" Zack asked, still squirming and uncomfortable. In fact all four guys were uncomfortable at the thought, that's why they all sat on the other side of the table in Felicity's living room. Her Uncle Goemon laughed as he watched TV.

"Felicity nearly got banned from competing when she was a little girl because she did that to an opponent. Though the little bastard deserved it, he was making a huge fuss about not wanting to fight a girl." Goemon said, sipping his cup of green tea. Felicity, not really paying attention, sat there playing with Botan.

The conversation continued ranging from movies they were going to bring Friday, to the illusive concert scheduled the Saturday after finals let out.

"What are your plans for thanksgiving Felicity?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, we're not American so it's kinda pointless to celebrate it." She said, gently pulling on Botan's tail and then yanking her hand back, causing the kitten to whirl around looking for whatever it was that kept pulling on her tail.

"Oh really? Both you and Warren are welcome to come over to my house." Will said, working on a rough draft essay, due in Medulla's class, about The Pros and Cons of the individual's super power.

"Thanks, I might keep that in mind, just to check out what the big deal is."

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After Will and the gang had to leave, Warren and Felicity took their stuff to her room to hang out and listen to her radio. Warren sat there, trying really hard to make it obvious he was staring at the bear he made her, while Botan curled up on it and gave him a warning stare about taking her plushie from her. He gave up and studied the Beta he gave her, while Felicity brought a snack tray and sodas for them. The Fish seemed happy swimming around in his tank, encircling his little castle. Next to his tank the other fish seem to be having a grand time too. The one named Julius nibbled on a seaweed leaf, and Morbo the Destroyer lazily swam up and down glubbing merrily.

"I never did thank you for the gifts did I?"

"Nah, it's cool, glad you liked em." Warren said feeling embarrassed about showering her with so much stuff. And the sad thing was, he had been considering buying her more junk, until Ethan called to tell him she wanted him to come over.

Felicity put the tray down on the bed and looked over at Ryuu. Though she adored Botan, and her other fish, she really loved Ryuu; he was such a funny fish. And he acted so much like a fish version of Warren.

Warren looked at the plate of homemade tempura and dipping sauce and his mouth watered. He took a pair of chopsticks and split them and helped himself to the snack, while Felicity fed her fish.

"Mm, this is really good." Warren said from around a mouthful of prawn.

"Yeah, I've been after Mum's recipe for the sauce for ever. But she keeps saying she'll give it to me when I move out." She said not even turning around. On her windowsill a blue and green watering can sat, partially full. She was going to have to remember to refill it soon. Felicity took up the can and watered all of her plants, before turning around to dump the rest into Botan's water bowl.

"You pig…" Felicity spat when she turned around and his face was stuffed with food and there was only three pieces left on the plate for her. Warren managed a smile and swallowed painfully.

"You were pissing around with your plants. So you snooze you loose." She stuck out her tongue at him and turned on her radio to the Radioland FM channel.

"Hey y'all in Radioland! This is Dwayne coming to you live from Radioland headquarters, And remember kiddies, Saturday's our Tenth b-day. so come on down and hang with us and the lovely radio-fox Felicity for Cake, Balloons and incredible discounts on all of your music needs. Next up is our commercial free drive at five. And we're kicking off the hour with an oldie but a goodie, The Beetles, Yellow Submarine, as requested by a Mr. Medulla." Warren snorted at the name of the requestee and turned the radio down a bit to tune out the Beetles.

"Not a Beetles fan?" Felicity asked sitting down on the end of her bed.

"Not particularly." He said, lying down on her bed like it was his. The foreign girl rolled her eyes as he propped his feet on her lap. Without stirring the dozing pyro, Felicity, spotting Botan curled up by his side, pulled out a long strip of paper and tickled the kitten with it and slowly gently dragged it up till she dangled over the boy's rather large sock-clad feet. Botan, seeing the dangly thing that looked like string, swished her tail back and forth jerkily and pounced on where the string-thing rested against Warren's feet.

"YEOW!" He cried, shooting up to see a kitten chewing on his big toe as best it could. Felicity hit her head against the wall she was laughing so hard.

"Funny…" Warren deadpanned, gently pulling the kitten off his foot. He sat up, not trusting Felicity not to do something to him if he dozed again, and kept the tiny little kitten in his arms, rubbing her head with a finger.

"How old is he?" He asked staring down at the fur ball.

"She. And I don't know, I know she's weaned, but I'm not sure she's old enough to be on her own. That's why I asked mom to carry her around with her when I'm not home." Felicity said, reaching over to gently tug on the kitten's tail. She mewed in outrage and squirmed a bit until Warren heated his hand a tiny bit to make her more comfortable.

"Aw, is she being mean to you?" Warren cooed to the sleepy little creature. Botan mewed appreciatively as she closed her eyes and snoozed in the boy's surprisingly gentle hands. Felicity shook her head, smiling, and leaned forward on her knees.

"You, are a deep well, Warren Peace." She said looking down at her tiny sleeping Kitten. He hummed a noncommittal noise, looking at her. Felicity looked up at him, her dark blue eyes locking with his own dark grey ones. Slowly her eyes drew lidded as she began to feel his breathe on her lips. Her own part…

"MEW?!" Botan cried, suddenly being smooshed between two bodies. Warren and Felicity jerk apart, with the pyro springing back so violently he hit his head against the wall.

"OW!" He cried, dropping Botan on his lap, who shot off it like she was being burned.

"Ohh jeeze. Are you okay?" She asked, laughing. She leaned forward to see if he was okay, again Warren was caught in her eyes.

"Uh… I have to go…" He blurted out and left, excusing himself. Felicity jerked back blushing.

"Did I just nearly kiss Warren Peace?" She blinked. Botan came over and rubbed herself against the girl's hand.

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Layla was almost one hundred and seventy percent positive that something had happened between Warren and Felicity, she was also about eighty six percent positive Felicity had no idea what. But that still left twenty four percent that she did know what. Which meant that she did… because she… ooh her head hurt.

"So what do you think happened between them." Will asked as he watched Warren pretend not to be staring at Felicity who kept turning to look at him when she caught him in the corner of her eye.

"You notice it too?" Layla asked, amazed her Boyfriend saw the tension.

"Uh Layla…" He said pointing to the two. Warren jerked his head back into his book as Felicity turned to look at him. When her attention was officially off him the dark haired boy was staring at her again. Again Felicity turned, swearing he was staring at her, but he looked away in time. She turned back to a silently laughing Alicia who pointed to the once again staring Warren, who, again, looked away as she turned to see if he was indeed staring.

"We really need to get those two together." Ethan said, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"The thing is, if he likes her, then why did he say he didn't?" Zack asked.

"Because he doesn't know he likes her." Came the unanimous reply.

"That's even possible?"

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Will, who had fifth period with both Warren Ethan and Felicity, watched the pyro and the paper-folding kendo champion from the back of the class. Warren stared at the back of her head until she would turn around, feeling his gaze, and he would look down at his textbook he was supposed to be silently doing work out of, and the process would repeat. Will wondered what had his friend in such turmoil. Quickly he wrote a note, balled it up, and flung it at his buddy.

Warren winced slightly as the ball of paper whapped him in the temple, and bounced harmlessly onto the tabletop surface. He unwrapped the note from its ball form and quickly read the contents.

"_Hey, what's up between you and Felicity? You've been staring at her all day."_ Warren incinerated the note so quickly there was no smoke, only a tiny pile of ashes afterwards. He turned around and mouthed for him to never mind. Shit he hadn't realized it was that obvious. He turned back around before Medulla could yell at him.

Warren wished he knew what was going on between them too. It was like the dull heat he had always felt around her was turned up. But he didn't really feel any different. From the moment he first talked to her in great length, he had always felt this warm affection for her. He merely chalked it up to him being over protective of the Japanese raised girl. Sure there were moments… but he passed them off as merely side effects of having a close female friend. But then three weeks ago… wow was it three weeks ago? She changed, her outsides matched the intensity and subtle attractiveness he had always found inside. And for once the shallow, petty, part of him that had always veheminantly protested to any comments about him dating her, quieted down. And it wasn't like she changed, much, she didn't crack jokes in class, and she now wore the designer clothes and make-up she once mocked to contemptuously. But he still loved hanging out with her, still felt completely at home, probably more so than at his own home, in her dojo. But then last night happened… he was so close to her… so close… his head still swum from the whole experience. And the shallow petty part of him still muttered _"Damn Cat."_

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Felicity dropped her bag off behind the DJ booth/register and plucked her purple and maroon work shirt into a better fitting position.

"As you Americans say HOWDY Partners! This is your favorite foreigner Felicity sending out Asian love over the airways. Let's take the first call and kick the afternoon off right with some good music. Hi you're on the radio love." Felicity said into a mike pressing a button so that the caller could be heard.

"Hi my name's Chris and I request House of Pain's Jump Around." Felicity pulled up the sing from the Database and pressed play.

"Awesome! Thanks for your request, and here's House of Pain." She let go of the button and the song began, pressing a few more buttons on the console, she transferred the calls to a headset she had on while she checked out a customer. The screen prompted the person to pay twenty-seven, seventy-three and Felicity took the cash while typing a song title for the Database to put into the next fifteen minute playlist. She handed the woman her change out of forty, and bagged the CDs and receipt.

"Thank you and come again!" She prompted and slouched against a button free panel.

"This is Radioland." She answered when the phone rang again.

"Blue Eiffel 95. Right. Okay it'll be about thirty minutes till the song airs." She typed the song into the database and waited the remaining five minutes for this play list to end.

"Now here's a request by Paulina for her special someone. Every time we touch by CASCADA ." She put the song on and mouthed the lyrics as the song pumped through the store speakers. Forty minutes later she cut off the request line, and put the call screener up. And when her second hour in her shift turned she played the Gossip Segment's theme music.

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"Shh! It's the Gossip Hour!" Mao hissed turning up the radio. Warren surreptitiously listened in to her British accented voice as he ate during his hour break in the kitchens out of the way.

"Okay, I am now opening the discussion to the first caller. Hello you're on the air."

"Hello? Hi, I just want to ask, what's the deal with Britney Spears?"

"Okay, before I even let anyone else respond to that one, I have to say this… it's been released that she's bipolar. So keep it nice and clean, okay folks, no one wants to mock the mental woman, after all being accosted by Dr. Phil had to be traumatizing enough." The kitchen laughed at the quip and then shushed down again. People bantered back and forth over her "insanity" until it boiled down to a mother and a some man arguing.

"I don't think they have the right to take the kids away from her until they get her to consent to a test to see if she would be labeled as unfit to be around her children." The Mother of three said.

"Like she would ever consent to a test like that! She's a danger to her kids and herself. I mean look at what recently happened! And now she's trying to procreate again?!"

"If she had anything wrong with her, wouldn't she, within the interest of her self and children, seek professional help?"

"Oh what the -BLEEP- do you know lady?! You think just because your life imitates idealistic that every woman is like that! Well GUESS WHAT…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. All right, I'm cutting you off. Topic closed! Next caller what's your gossip?"

"Uhm, does anyone truly believe Paris Hilton's philanthropy claims?" Warren listened as the conversation opened a new can of worms till the hour was over and it turned into the Commercial Free Drive at Five. Then again at six he caught snippets of the "I knew he was a Snake". Warren shook his head at the strangely addicting radio show designed to catch cheating lovers and expose them on the radio. Then at his next break at eight was the Global Wave, which featured hits in other countries. At nine she opened up slow jams. And signed off at ten. At ten thirty she showed up with a smile and a ten in her pocket, got a to go box of vegetable Lo Mein, shot a million watt grin at a now uncomfortable Warren, who was hiding, though he claimed to be scrubbing a crayon mark left there by a kid, behind a potted tree, and left whistling a tune. At Eleven thirty Warren was in bed, and had a restless night ahead of him.

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One would have to be blind to not notice the bags and circles under his eyes. And if they didn't notice them, then his even shorter than usual temper and even _more_ hairpin trigger certainly set you right. In fact he was so bad he terrified the entire school. Teachers all declared free days they were so worried he'd kill someone –coughthemcough- . Sabrina fled screaming in terror after a particularly violent threat involving burnt, still smoldering, splintery bamboo skewers and eyeballs. Ethan Zack and Magenta opted to avoid the extremely homicidal senior by staying in the Hero-support room, all day. The only people who didn't run in abject fear were Will Layla and Felicity. Will, because his strength made him damn near invulnerable. Layla because she truly naively believed the pyro wouldn't hurt her. And Felicity because they suspected she had a slight suicidal streak in her, but mostly because she knew Warren wouldn't really hurt her… too much.

"Warren, just lay down for a bit… you almost walked into a wall your so out of it." Felicity reasoned trying to pull the taller boy to the nurse's office for a nap. He resisted, not wanting to lie down, even though he was soo tired. Felicity sighed a deep sigh of frustration and irritation.

"Alright, if you don't want to go to Nurse Spex' office, we'll sit WAY in the back of gym and you can use my lap as a pillow okay?" Warren decided that that might be a little too tempting for him to handle, wished he had instead agree to go to the nurse's office. But he didn't say anything, he really didn't want to deal with her silent treatments again… his wallet still hasn't recovered, nor his pride…

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Even though she had found the darkest part of the gym, and had a nice comfy lap to prop his jacket on, Warren still couldn't sleep. It was too bright still, and loud, and he didn't have a blanket, Warren was one of those people who needed a blanket to sleep. But he still monopolized his time by at least resting. His friends had left them alone, so at least there was that perk. Sabrina had marched up to them briefly tried to start shit, but Warren shot a small hot fireball at her and she got the hint. Finally.

"THREE TWO ONE!" the gym chanted as the dummy mulched itself.

Warren groaned at the sound of plastic being ground and rolled over, burying his face in her stomach. Felicity gently stroked his hair.

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"Warren!" Mao hissed, as he dropped yet another plate.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep so good last night." He muttered, yawning sleepily. Hastily an older Asian woman took the plates out of his hand and sat him down in a booth in the back of the restaurant. Warren absently noted that it was this very table that his problems seemed to begin. He looked around at the customers, at the décor, at anything other then the woman in front of him. Liu sighed and started the conversation.

"Alright, spill." Warren looked around again, uncomfortable with the situation. "Warren…" the woman said threateningly.

"It's nothing… I just… it's…" He began, unsure where to start. His fingers fiddled with the napkin in front of Liu, though he knew it wasn't, he liked to pretend that it was the very napkin Felicity, the version he knew how to handle, had folded into a dog.

"Does this have something to do with Felicity?" Warren stiffened and dropped the napkin. "Aha! I thought so. So tell Granny Liu what happened." Warren sighed and found that once he started describing his problems, they all fell out in a tumble. Granny Liu just simply smiled and waited for him to finish.

"I was wondering when you'd finally start to realize you liked her back." Was all she said before sending him home to bed.

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Warren slept on Liu's words, and to his dismay, found them to be every bit as accurate as he had that afternoon she so casually dropped them, sending his world spinning. When his growling stomach woke him up in the middle of the night for sustenance, Warren grumbled a string of choice words, and padded to his refrigerator, still tired, and got the leftover Chinese food out to reheat. He sat on the counter, much like his mother always told him not to, and chewed his Beef Chop Suey, and let his thoughts, somewhat more coherent then he was yesterday, mull over everything that has recently been given to it to digest.

One) Felicity has/had a crush on him. It was entirely possible she no longer did… does… whatever.

Two) he has a crush of Felicity. This is potentially problematic, since A) he said he didn't. And B) she might not like him in that fashion any longer.

Three) apparently everyone knew he had a crush on her.

And Four) he didn't know what to do about any of it.

He shoveled the last mouthful of the dish into his mouth and put the bowl away in the dishwasher to be washed. Perhaps the answers will show up after some more sleep.

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Okay, I know I promised a long chapter, and this really isn't any longer then the norm. But, if I write any more, my brain may well ooze out my ears.

BY the way-

Bakayaro roughly translates as the equivalent of dumbass.


	7. Movie Night

To everyone who's been patient with my downtime. Thank you.

I don't own Sky High.

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"Is that Kim Chi?" Warren asked, his mouth watering at the pungent smell of the vegetable. Meanwhile everyone else within a five foot radius, not including Felicity, plugged their noses from the smell.

"That's vile." Layla gasped between deep breaths through her mouth. Felicity laughed and spooned a large mouthful into her mouth.

"But it's sooo good." She moaned after she swallowed. Warren grinned and took the spoon from her hand and helped himself to a big bite.

"HEY! Get your own!" She cried, battling for the spoon.

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_"To misao to Milan,_

_In the shade of Avalon_

_From Fiji to Tyri_

_Everyday unto cartume.__"_ The choir sang. When the song was finished Felicity took out another stick of gum and chewed to rid herself of her horrid breath.

"Dude, Felicity, what the hell did you eat?!" Alicia asked, wrinkling her nose and waving her hand in front of it.

"Kim Chi. Delicious, but definitely a date wrecker." She said, popping another stick of extra-strength Eclipse mint-gum.

"Try the whole pack." The blonde ice-princess said dryly.

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Before Warren could even get a word out, he suddenly found his mouth stuffed with mint gum pieces. Felicity kept her hand over his mouth, refusing to allow him to spit any of it out.

"I hayf mimn" He mumbled through the mouthful of gum as he reluctantly chewed. Felicity and Alicia looked at each other.

"Really? Let me guess, you prefer cinnamon. Figures." Felicity groused good naturedly as he nodded, still chewing.

"Hey, can I have a piece?" Zack asked, Felicity handed him the container and asked everyone if they had their movies and stuff.

"I'm almost tempted to call Sleepover; we're most likely going to be up till way late anyways."

"Hm, oh that reminds me. Orders people." The group arsonist, slightly muffled by the large wad of gum, pulled out a notebook and a pen

"Ooh, uhm… Honey Seared Vegetables and Spicy Chicken Dandan noodles."

"Mongolian Beef and Sweet and Sour chicken."

"Chinese Hotpot!" Ethan cried.

"Er, those aren't transportable." Warren looked at Ethan.

"Okay… how about… Shrimp Fried Rice." The dark haired teenager wrote that order down then his own.

"Alright, see you guys at five." And he left.

"I can't wait to get a job yo, then I can leave school early for it too." Zack complained as the group watched Warren head off to the early release bus.

"Nah, you have to have had the job in question for two years minimum and have written a request a week prior, and submitted it with you're your parent's and your boss' signature on it." Felicity said fiddling with her locker combo; she knew Medulla would give her some leeway since she still had some trouble with her knee and ankle.

"Ouch, tough." Magenta said as she gathered her things and prepared to rush off to her final actual class before gym. Zack waved bye and took off, carrying his girlfriend's books. Ethan waved goodbye and went off to class, leaving Felicity alone in the hallway to finish getting her stuff.

"Well well well… if it isn't little miss bitch." Sabrina's completely non threatening voice cackled from behind. Felicity sighed and resisted banging her head onto the metal of her locker.

"Shoo fly, don't bother me." She deadpanned, taking out her extraordinarily heavy science textbook and shutting the door.

"How does it feel to be ugly and stupid?" The blonde sneered.

"How does it feel to be friendless and a moron?" Felicity mocked. She moved her leg in time for Sabrina's foot to come in contact with her locker door. Sabrina howled in pain as she hopped on one foot. Felicity smirked, feeling much better then she would have if she had beat the brat down, and walked off to Mad Science, hoping Medulla wouldn't kill her for beingn way late.

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Quickly Saeko ran pushing the mop along the long wooden outdoors hallway of her house as the Dojo instructors they hired moved furniture around in the living room. Mike and Rick brought in the couch they kept in the dojo's outside shed as Kelly and Mitsukuni moved the table away from the middle of the room and dusted. And outside, Felicity raked up the leaves from the trees and picked fruit from their trees.

"Mum, the cherry and apple trees are all picked. We have about another week on the lemon and plum tree." She said bringing in large baskets of fruit off the trees in their backyard.

"Alright dear, put them in the pantry closet for now." Saeko said, done with cleaning the outside floors. "Go see if the instructors need any help." Felicity nodded and entered into the living room.

"Alright guys thanks." The group nodded and took off, having done everything asked of them.

"Felicity, clean the kitchen!" Saeko's voice called from outside as she swept the driveway.

"Hai Ka-san!" The younger female called out and hurried along to the kitchen.

Felicity, once inside the messy kitchen, grabbed a scouring brush and started scrubbing. Hastily she wiped her forehead with a forearm and grimaced at the feel of painful acne. She scrubbed harder and finished cleaning the kitchen.

"I'm going to take a shower!" She called out and ran off to the bathroom.

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Felicity winced as she rubbed the last bit of her foundation off with the appropriate cleanser. Large painful bumps adorned her entire face. She had never had this much trouble with zits, it was the make up type she used was irritating her face, causing her to break out horribly. A hot sick jolt of anger coiled and wormed in her stomach.

_If that stupid bitch had just left me alone with the way I was…_ She took a deep breath to calm down. Anger and Stress only worsened complexions, she reminded herself. Depressed, Felicity turned on the water and waited for it to heat up. She winced slightly as the steam opened her inflamed pores and she stepped in.

The girl squeezed out a large dollop of acne remover onto her palm and rubbed it on her face, wincing at the sting of the stuff pulling out the centers.

She would have been lying if she had said it was all for the chance to perform at the concert. And she had said that. A selfish part of her wanted to hurt Warren and the others for saying those things. But, as the wise say, "eye for an eye leaves the world blind". And really her childish way of going about and getting her "revenge" on them merely left her feeling like a spoilt brat.

She squeezed her favorite orange and green tea scented shampoo onto her wet hair, and worked it into a thick lather, continuing her thoughts.

At least her plan had one major success. Warren now seemed to appreciate her as a friend. Felicity, whose eyes were closed to avoid soap getting in them, smiled at the thought of him nearly emptying his wallet to buy her gifts to try and make up for his callousness. Mao had confided to her in the greatest of secrecy that the pyro had asked for a payment advancement to ensure he still could pay his own bills in addition to buying her rather pricy gifts.

Felicity laughed mentally at the memory of the bear. Leave it to Warren to make the "gothest" bear build-a-bear can produce. The black bear with his red patches on his feet and safety pin earring, which was literally a large safety pin jabbed through his ear, white "stitches" zigzagging back and forth across his body, and the black scull and crossbones on his right foot hade him even more adorable, to Felicity and Botan anyways.

When the burning sensation in her face finally went away she tilted her head up and let the steamy spray wash away the medicinal wash. Gently she wiped her hands over her face to encourage the remaining bits of wash to come off. When her face was clear, she let the shower work on getting the soap out of her hair.

"Felicity, your guests are starting to arrive." Saeko's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Arigato, Ka-san. Can you do a favor for me? That make-up I bought is wreaking havoc on my face."

"Hai." Saeko left to call in an appointment with a dermatologist and Felicity applied a small glob of conditioner.

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By the time Felicity managed to get the conditioner out of her hair, she had always wondered why she bothered with the stuff, it never did anything useful and it was such a pain in the ass to get out, the last person had shown up. Warren, bearing food and a nineteen seventies horror classic: The Exorcist.

"Hey, sorry to be running so late." She briefly noticed that her British accent seemed to be fading. But didn't think on it in favor of Chinese food.

"Ooh, your Acne's really bad." Magenta commented licking sauce off her thumb from her plate of Sweet and Sour Chicken and Mongolian Beef. Felicity grabbed a bowl and put a large scoop of rice in then topped it with a large heaping helping of Mongolian Beef.

"The foundation I bought is really killing my face." Felicity said, subconsciously brushing her hair down even further to completely hide her face.

"Then why wear make-up?" Warren asked.

"Because I-"

"Why go through with any of this?"

"You know what Warren; I'm not going to argue with you, because you and I will go back and forth till we're both blue in the face. But I still won't listen." She said crossly. Sick of the constant beneath the surface tension all this was propagating.

"Why not?! Seriously you should-"

"Warren, I. Am. Not. Going. To. Argue. With. You." She said slowly. Signifying that the topic was over. Zack, sensing the mounting tensions jumped up to put a movie in the DVD tray before a fight could break out.

"Hey, anyone pick up some sodas?" As if on queue Saeko came in with a flat of soda and a bottle of juice for Felicity.

"The doctor wants you to avoid things like soda and such till she can see you on Monday." The mother explained, before taking her leave. Felicity nodded and turned to watch the movie. Warren, feeling anti-social, opted to sit on the floor instead of being packed in on the couch.

He sat there, petulant about her rather stinging dismissal, trying to resist the urge to cross his arms, as she answered questions about the sudden appearance of the couch. But soon forgot his ire when the movie officially started and the room hushed at the start of House on Haunted Hill.

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At three in the morning it was just Warren and Felicity left. Felicity, half passed out and now officially desensitized to all forms of carnage, violence, and human-maiming, laid sprawled on the couch, clutching a pillow and dosing off, with a steady stream of drool soaking the bedding item halfway through. Warren was not faring much better. With a large crick forming in his back from lying on the hard mat flooring. And a pounding headache from the occasional departure from the movie plot into the confusing mind of one Felicity MacLeod. When Haeckel's Tale finally concluded, at four am, Felicity insisted that that was it.

"One more movie!" He whined, just to be annoying. And he found himself on his ass outside on the front door step not five minutes later.

"Must be PMSing." He grumbled before getting up and walking stiffly with a slight limp to his car.

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On Monday, Felicity sat in the Doctors office not feeling so bad about her horrid complexion anymore. After all this one guy had weeping zits the size of a golf ball. She and Saeko made sure to sit as far away as possible while trying to keep him out of sight. It was rather cruel of them to do it, but they had just eaten lunch so…

"Miss MacLeod, the doctor will see you now." The soft voiced assistant who sounded like she had once belonged to an airport announcement desk called from the opened door. Felicity and her mom walked in through the door and onto the small room on the right.

"Now, what is the reason for your visit?" The generic faced woman spoke in a clinical tone.

"Uh, I have a severe break out of painful acne." She said sheepishly. It sounded so… teenage-melodrama.

"Hmm, does it hurt to touch them?"

"Yes."

"Have you been using over the counter cosmetics?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." The woman took a look at Felicity's face and gently prodded a large zit. "It appears to be infected. Doctor Beau can tell you more, but she's also going to give you some seriously expensive topical prescriptions, I can tell this simply from a cursory exam." She said, pulling off her latex gloves and tossing them in a bin. Quickly she jotted down some jargon and tucked it into the clear plastic clipboard bin. "The doctor will be in shortly." She said and left. Felicity hopped up on the examining table and kicked her feet gently. Not even five minutes later a tall blonde woman with a rather noticeable mole right under her roman nose came in. Felicity wrinkled her nose and thought of Austin Powers: Goldmember.

"Now dear, according to Kris' prognosis, you have a rather nasty bout of infected acne. And judging by the looks of your face, I'd say so too… now if you would be so kind as to follow me into an exam room, we can get started." Felicity and Saeko swapped looks and gathered their belongings to follow the woman.

"She doesn't waste words." Saeko muttered to her daughter in their native tongue.

"Aa." Felicity nodded.

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The exam room was a clean clinical affair filled with devices that wouldn't look out of place at either a medieval torture room or a high-tech futuristic alien space station. The woman sat her down on a chair that was designed to be generically comfortable, and ended up feeling like a lump between the shoulders. Felicity squirmed a bit till the doctor came at her face with a topical cream and a device the looked like a demented syringe needle.

When the whole affair was over, Felicity walked out of the room with a bandage on her forehead and a scribble-y prescription for a harsh sounding medicated topical cream and prescription cosmetics.

"Boy you are soo lucky our health insurance covers all of this." Saeko said after they had dropped the prescription notes of at a local pharmacist retailer. Felicity sat in the car, wincing at the pain in her forehead where the woman jabbed her with the needle-thing.

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Fortunately, she didn't have to see anybody Tuesday, because Mrs. Merlot had decided to spend every Tuesday at the theater they rented out for the concert. For the next month and a half. Well, at least she had a day to chill and let the prescriptions heal up her face.

"Uhg, you're even like more hideous than before! PUT IT AWAY, PUT IT AWAY! MY EYES, THEY LIKE BURN!" Sabrina shrieked as she pranced abut on stage.

"Get over yourself." The class muttered, ignoring the wannabe drama-queen.

"Alright every one, I have the song list here." The teacher handed out a pile of stapled packets.

"WHAT?! Pimple-face is considered for a lead?!" Sabrina's voice pierced the group as she read the top page for positions.

"Yes, Felicity is a strong candidate for lead, and if you don't like it, I can always give your part away to someone else to, Miss Dolman." Mrs. Merlot said stiffly. Sabrina choked on empty air, and the group resumed to flipping through the pages for the songs they were guaranteed to perform.

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"Oh no, Felicity-san, we are scheduled to perform Butterfly." Kimiko, another Japanese transfer student, told the half good humouredly. Felicity giggled, reading the song's information. She read where she was supposed to bring in a "kimono" and any "traditional" items the performers wished to use on stage. In bold print on the bottom of the page it read "**ALL ITEMS TO BE USED IN SHOW MUST BE CLEARED BY TEACHER FIRST. ****NO EXCEPTIONS****!"** Felicity sighed and made a mental note about her Katana, or at least bokan or daito.

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I'd write more, but as you probably can tell from this chapter, I have serious writer's block.

Thanks for being so patient with me during the hiatus. Things… haven't been great lately, and it seems that any time I get to sit down and write, it's either a fruitless labor or I have to get back up again to take care of something else.

Happy Valentines Day; or Singles-Awareness Day depending on your status. Hope y'all get tons of chocolates and flowers and cards.


	8. Thanksgiving Fiasco

OH MY GOD!! AN UPDATE!!

Well, I'm baaack. A little battered in the emotional arena, but stronger (hopefully) than ever in the literary one.

I would have been able to update a while ago except the CD which contained Office 2003 was mysteriously (cough_Dad_cough) placed inside of a blank dvd case.

For all the good people so patient with my downtime: Wow… I wouldn't have been able to do it.

I don't own Sky High.

Felicity bounced her knee and drummed her pencil as she studiously watched the clock. Willing the three hands to go faster.

"Miss Macleod, while I appreciate your earnest attempts to disprove the Theory of Relativity, perhaps if you would pay more attention to the class then trying to speed up time for your Thanksgiving Break, you wouldn't perform as poorly as you did on your last test." Medulla chastised as the dark-haired girl ducked her head and resumed her attention on the lesson, her cheeks burning a glowing pink from being caught on "clock watch". Medulla smiled and resumed his lecture about the differences between beams and why they are not to be confused with rays, and some of the beam's most noted characteristics.

"**BRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!!**" A guy in the back of the class imitated the bell, with starling accuracy, hoping to catch the teacher off guard and get out early.

"Detention Mister Wilder, for trying to trick a teach-"

"**BRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!!**"

The rest of the sentence was drowned out with the dull roar of chairs being moved, backpacks being shuffled about, and sneakers squeaking on the linoleum flooring.

"Warren! Felicity! So are you two coming over for Thanksgiving tomorrow?" To be truthful, the thought had slipped both the Pyro and the Samurai's minds. Suddenly a million excuses fled to the minds.

"No, I-I have to work, I mean somebody has to run the Dj booth on Thanksgiving." She winced, knowing full well that they already had a prerecorded "non-stop music" list for the day.

"Oh, they make you work on Thanksgiving?" He said dejectedly.

"Yeah, not everyone has the day free… I have to bus tables myself." That was every bit a lie as what Felicity had said.

"Oh… that… sucks." He said sadly and began to walk away. "Er… hope you guys have some fun on your holiday." The prodigy said, half turning to face them.

"Will!" Felicity called after him, damn the boy was every bit like his girlfriend, nope one wanted to see him mope. "I- I'm not making any promises, but I'll see what I can do." Warren grunted in echo.

"Really?! Thanks guys! You'll have sooooo much fun!" The Red White and Blue garbed teen brightened immediately and ran off to tell his mom that they were coming over.

"Why do I feel as if I'm about to enter into the proverbial Dragon's Cave?" Felicity muttered as the two watched him nearly run through a wall in his glee.

"Don't you _**DARE**_ bale on me." Warren threatened.

"Ready?" Warren asked. The perpetually grumpy teen was wearing his nicest set of clothes, Felicity could tell, he even went through great length to brush and REALLY clean his hair, not just the quick scrub and rinse he usually does. Warren scowled and batted a curling lock of hair out of his face. Felicity smiled, knowing that he really wanted to look nice for the occasion and dug a spare hair tie out of her pocket. The half-Japanese batted his hands away and smoothed his hair back till she could tie it into a proper ponytail.

"How many times must I tell you? You look really nice with your hair pulled back." She said softly. Her fingers strayed to his collar and fixed the folds. From this distance she could see the minuet stubble texturing his chin, and smell the aftershave. Hesitantly she stepped back and took a deep breath of air. Warren had this indescribable look smoldering in his dark eyes. She shivered and turned to knock on the door. Twice she rapped the knocker against the white wood door and hastily smoothed down her rumpled blue frock-sweater, and pumped her legs to ward off the creeping November frost. In the moments before the pounding footsteps could reach the door and wayward though entered the heroine's mind: _What a couple Warren and I must make, here he's dressed in his finery, well as much as that goes for him, looking sharp, like a casually dressed business man; and here I am, dressed in a large lumpy faded blue sweater, and a pair of jeans._ For the first time since early October, not quite two months now, Felicity felt underdressed; by Warren of all people no less! It must have shown through in her fidgeting, because before the door could open, Warren leaned over and whispered:

"You look cute, I wish I had dressed more casually, I feel way over dressed." Felicity snorted.

"Be lucky, not everyone can pull off the jeans and a button-up shirt look even half as well as you do." She whispered back right before the door opened revealing a manically grinning William Theodore Stronghold.

Felicity and Warren stiffly sat on a couch, pressed up against each other as the rest of the Stronghold clan poked and prodded them. Comments assaulted them from every angle, some truly benign, some merely masking the contempt the speaker was trying to mask for politeness' sake, or being unintentionally rude, but with little to no malice behind them, other not even bothering and flat out making rude, spiteful, comments. Felicity wondered if they realized that only two things were keeping Warren from burning their faces off. And the major one of the two was Felicity holding his hand for dear life. Her hand _ached_ from the pressure his grip was issuing on her smaller one; her own knuckles were beyond white as some old bag made yet _another_ WWII reference to her face. And Will was out back playing football oblivious to his guests' plight.

"Felicity, Warren, why don't you two go outside, I'm sure it's warmed up some more from when you got here." Mrs. Stronghold said, giving the congregated family members a disapproving look. Hastily the two retreated to the back, all the while trying to look as if they weren't fleeing the situation. Once safely outside the back door Felicity yanked her bruised and slightly burnt hand from Warren's overly strong and hot grip.

"Sorry." He muttered, sheepishly scratching at the back of his neck.

"I understand, I wonder if Will would understand if we took a rain check on the rest of the festivities." She said, the cold air feeling great on her hand.

"I don't want to imagine his reaction, but I think we can grit our teeth and bare it for his sake." Warren owed them, and more specifically young William, more then Felicity did; but he would ditch, or worse kill some one, if Felicity left. And while taking out the strong teen's all together unpleasant Great Aunt seemed like a favor to the world, the foresight of the action was more trouble then it the deed worth.

"Hey guys! Having fun?" Will jogged up to them, a grin plastered across his boyish face. Felicity was about to snap a resounding 'No!' but Warren elbowed her into silence and grunted a noncommittal noise. As if for the briefest of moments the Stronghold heir was gifted with insight, he frowned for a moment before perking back up.

"I just recently got a new PS3, I have a couple of fighting games, wanna go break them in?"

After Thirty rounds of the very latest Dead or Alive game, the score stood at Warren: 12 Felicity: 17 and Will: 1, by sheer fluke, Mrs. Stronghold called the three down for the main feast.

At an extended table sat the entire household, with three seats left available. None of them by each other. Will, as expected, took the seat by his parents, and Felicity ended up right nest to Great Aunt May, who started up a new round of jabs at her main ethnicity. Across the table Warren gazed at her apologetically, as Will's just-turned-fourteen year old cousin stared at him with large doe eyes. Warren, being eighteen already, shifted away from her, as her mom, a large woman who was impressing upon her daughter the beauty of being rotund, laughed in a loud roar and smacked him on the back with loud thumps in congratulatory fashion, while her daughter, who gave the impression of being a simpleton, literally drooled over him.

When grace was finished, a blessed stretch of silence as Steve Stronghold droned on in an easily tuned-out prepared monologue, a loud cacophony of inane conversation.

"How could you possibly like her over my little Beauty?" The obese mother, whose name was Rose, bellowed in her indoor tone as she gestured to Felicity. Warren had been watching Felicity, waiting for the moment and the mother had incorrectly, or rather correctly but out of context, assumed her liked her rather then Beauty. Beauty had piled her plate and was staring at the Pyro while over stuffing her face with mashed potatoes and chewing with her cheeks bulged out. Warren glanced at her and shuddered and a trickle of drool escaped her puckered lips and she continued to chew, reminding him of a cow chewing its cud. Way worse then Sabrina, he decided.

"I mean she's got no boobs!" The woman roared. "I know what a man wants! Boobs!" She fondled her own in reference. "My little Beauty's already a C-cup at fourteen! What's she? A negative A?" As people began to hush the boisterous woman, Felicity listened with mild sense of amusement, right next to her great Aunt May complained about being sat next to the "Jap" Felicity passed her a bowl of cranberry sauce a three year old with a nasty head cold a few seat down had sneezed in, not taking any for herself. Will's Grandfather had chosen to sit at the very far end of the table, glaring at the two new occupants at the table before clearing his throat to talk Heroics with his son, at the other end of the table.

As Dinner finally came to a frustrating end, and the pie had been eaten or put up, everyone gathered around the karaoke machine. Aunt Rose, as she had insisted Warren call her, and Miss Stronghold to Felicity, and pushed and elbowed for her own Beauty to come forth and begin the Christmas Carols, as apparently was custom for the Family to sing after the Thanksgiving Day meal.

As Felicity and Warren resumed their spots they had abandoned hours ago, minus the hand holding, as everyone seemed too absorbed in the off key warbling of Beauty, but apparently only Rose seemed to think the world of her daughter's talent. Once the girl was done with her special rendition of Silent Night, Will turned to Felicity and petitioned her to sing.

"Oh no." The girl said, shutting him down.

"Please? Come on Warren, you love it when Felicity sings. Help me out here."

"No!" Felicity said more forcefully.

Warren elbowed her. "Get up there." Felicity scowled and elbowed him back.

"Felicity!" Will pleaded. Damnit she really didn't want to perform for these people.

"Will. I really don't want to." She said dead serious.

"Alright alright. Sheesh." He backed off and Felicity relaxed into the couch.

Warren wondered if Will liked his extended family, he seemed pretty damned determined to keep them there all night. But when the two were finally allowed to go home… it might have been more prudent to have stayed. Felicity wrapped her arms around her frame trying to keep out the bitter Snowstorm out of her sweater-shirt. Warren wrapped his arms around her, flaring his power enough to null the icy effects of the storm, and steered her to his apartment.

His mom was out, he remembered that. Hastily he fiddled in his pockets for his keys, keeping an arm wrapped around Felicity's small frame to keep her warm. Scowling Felicity took out a piece of paper and jimmied the lock open with it.

"That not a very heroic thing to know how to do." Warren admonished once the door was closed and they were safe inside the apartment.

"My apologies, we can go back out into the blizzard and do it the proper way if you'd like." She snapped. He reared his head back from the insult and looked at her. She sighed and rubbed her now acne free forehead.

"I'm sorry; I still have some pent up hostilities from the day. I shouldn't take them out on you." She muttered. A shiver ripped through her body as the final bit of warmth stolen from Warren's overly hot body fled into the chilled room. It was then she realized, the snow and ice gathered in the fifteen minute walk from the Stronghold residence to the Aspiring Heights apartment complex, and up the stairs to the fifth floor thanks to a stuck elevator, had melted with the combined heat to soak her clothes, not enough to drip, but enough to be considered wet. Without even a by-your-leave, Warren kicked off his shoes in the doorway and went to his bedroom, turning the heater on high as he passed it in the small hallway to his room for a change of clothes for the both of them. Moments later he returned, changed already, and bearing a familiar tee-shirt and a pair of drawstring lounge pants a bit too small for him.

"Here, you're going to get sick if you stay in those clothes." She recognized the shirt.

**End of Chapter** (since FFNET no longer wishes to preserve my chapter separators)

For the sake of posting today, I'll cut there and make it a cliff-hanger cause an update's LONG overdue.

As for the Stronghold clan. They are actually based a lot off of my family lol. I had fun doing this chapter. And the next chapter well… We have Felicity, alone in Warren's apartment, with a blizzard outside, a possible power outage, and a _very_ willing Pyro as a heat source XD.


	9. Frigid

I don't own Sky High

.

"I'm going to wait out the storm at Warren's apartment… no his mum's out of town for the week… MUM!!" Felicity shrieked into the mouth piece of her own cell phone. From in the kitchen Warren smirked as he called his own parental over the house phone.

"Mom, she's just staying here till she can get home, I promise nothing will happen… I know but… I promise nothing will happen." He assured his worried mother before disconnecting to call Will, a condition of being allowed to escape the Stronghold… stronghold.

"Yeah, listen we got caught in the blizzard… no we both got to my apartment safely… yeah… all right… have fun." He pressed the small hard-plastic green-painted button and slid the phone back into its charge dock. The sound of plastic smacking plastic echoed from the living room followed quickly by an irritated huff.

"Mum say's she probably going to be snowed in by tomorrow. Damn these freak November blizzards… Damn you global warming… and damn the Bush Administration's oil dependency which fuels out predicament!" She cried out dramatically.

"You done?"

"… Yeah."

"So... what do you want to do?"

.

"So then he says... he says... 'Felicity!! DETENTION!!" Felicity howled as her and Warren sat on the floor of his living room retelling hilarious stories to pass the time. Above, the lights flickered ominously. "Uh... does this complex have a back up generator?" the girl asked, her smile dropping into a worried frown.

The lights flickered once again, then shut off.

"No..."

"Shit." The two sat still in the dark, afraid they might run into each other if they got up. Without the heater going full blast the cold crept in quickly and soon both of them were shivering with the cold.

Felicity watched the snow reflect off of some light source through the window till even that had frosted over. This was bad... Maxville hadn't seen a blizzard this bad in almost ten years.

"Warren..." Felicity cried out in alarm as the window frame started to ice over. A thick downy blanket was dropped on top of her. She hadn't even realized Warren had moved till then.

"Move away from the window." Warren said as he too noticed the ice growing on the panes. The teen was worried about the glass; it might break at any given time with this extreme cold. Felicity did as she was told and moved to the far end of the couch, his super thick quilted cover wrapped around her like a cocoon. The pair could see their breath in the dark.

"Warren... do you have some candles or something?" Felicity chattered, damn this apartment complex and its shitty thin walls. Warren had taken the thinner throw blanket for himself because of his body's naturally high temperature. But even he had to admit... it was getting pretty damn cold.

His room was pretty much the only room without a window, and was situated in the heart of the apartment, the way the apartment was set up and there for most likely to be the warmest location, so he gathered flashlights, candles. Warren grimaced; his room was going to smell like a Yankee Candle Shop for weeks. And a battery operated radio, and headed to his room.

"Felicity, come on where moving into my room." He said when he paused by the living room. She was bent over her cell phone, trying not to cry.

"Felicity?"

"I can't get a hold of my mum..." She choked out. Warren felt a swell of fear dig at his stomach.

"I'm sure she's fine." He consoled. "She's probably been evacuated by now."

"And Botan and Ryu and Julius and Morbo? And my plants?" Warren sighed as he walked over to pick her up.

"Them too... rescue workers don't leave pets... or plants..." he added at the look on her face "behind." He picked her up with ease and began his way to his room.

"Really?" she asked, her tears drying.

"Really really." He teased. "You know, thanks to you my rooms going to smell worse than Bath and Bodyworks now." He complained as she let time carry her.

"How is that _my_ fault?" She scoffed jokeingly.

"You were the one who wanted light, I had no problem with the dark but _you wanted light!_" He groused good naturedly. Felicity made a face at him in the dark, and Warren, somehow knowing she had stuck her tongue out at him (she had accidentally licked him), dropped her on his bed with a small bounce. He rubbed the wet spot disgustedly and ignited all of the candles he had spread out with just a thought.

"Somebody's been practicing." Felicity admired.

"Yeah well... without you around to pry me out of the house every so often, I got nothing else to do." He mumbled. Felicity felt her face flush lightly.

"You know Warren..." She said softly. "You're really sweet sometimes..." Warren smiled goofily.

"Yeah well... don't let it get out kay?" To occupy his mind for the moment he fiddled with the radio till it landed on Radioland.

"_Settle in folks cause we're looking at one hell of a blizzard, The Weather man says this one's a cold one, with negative ten-plus degrees in certain parts. Scientists are saying Global Warming's the cause of this. So folks around town are advised to board up windows and move to an indoor room, preferably one that traps heat very well. Rescue workers are asking that you refrain from building fires unless you have a way of containing them, and then, only if you feel you are in extreme danger of hypothermia... And I have bad news for all of our listeners In and Around The Aspiring Heights Apartment Complex, looks like your going to have to wait this one out, rescue workers can't get there through something blocking the way under the now three feet of snow._" Felicity looked at Warren.

"Holy Shit..."

"Don't worry, I can build a fire in here and contain it, if it gets down to being that cold." Felicity nodded and wrapped her blanket tighter around her. Warren tried to hide his own shivers; his blanket really wasn't warm enough, even with his elevated temperature.

"Warren? Is that blanket going to be enough?" She chattered. The room, although warmer then she knew the rest of the apartment to be, was still cold, despite the multitude of candles, clogging her sinuses and warming the air be sheer volume.

"I have a higher body temperature then you." He grit out to mask the shivers.

"I know that... I was asking if that blanket's enough to keep you warm."

"I'm not swapping."

"Share the two of them idiot. I can't take much more of this cold temperature, and you really need a thicker blanket." She snapped, the cold making her irritable. Warren arched an eyebrow at her tone. Felicity, knowing how she came across, heaved a sigh.

"Lately I've been nothing but cross at you haven't I?" She asked staring down at the not-quite-warm-enough blanket.

"Yeah... ever since you started dressing up... you changed."

_**I**__ changed?!_ She thought angrily. _**I CHANGED?! **_The last months frustration, at being forced to wear clothes she didn't feel comfortable in, the distance her friend have been giving her, the bullshit of high school, all bubbled inside her till:

"How dare you... HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?! _I_ have done everything in my power to ensure that I have a _chance_, _a fucking chance_, at my dream. _AND YOU HAVE THE BALLS TO CIRITICIZE ME?!_ I'm not like you or Layla or Will, who have _everything_ on a fucking plate. I don't have a family to hand me a future I'm willing to settle for, I don't have my dream job already fucking _proverbially gift wrapped for me. _So what if I have to change my outward appearance to impress some stranger, just for a CHANCE at living my dream. They are just clothes Warren, I haven't changed, you have." She was so livid at the moment that all she could think of to do was to get out of the room Hastily she pulled the blanket around her tighter and stomped to the door.

"You know," she added as she opened the door to the rest of the apartment "you used to be awesome. You always claimed to be against judging people by their clothes, what a hypocrite you've become." And with that she stalked out and slammed the door.

...

Felicity felt liberated of a huge crushing pressure on her chest.

Of course now she was screwed... The rest of the apartment was extremely cold compared to Warren's white-washed room. Too proud to walk back in and be sensible, she walked over to the window in the living room and rubbed the glass free of frost.

As she watched the tiny flakes swirl outside the demi-Japanese girl began to feel bad about yelling at Warren. Sure he was aggravating at times... and he did in a small way deserve it, but... the situation was bad enough without her screaming at him. Behind her the door to his room flew open, startling her to turn around and peer at him wide-eyed.

"Oh, I thought you had gone outside..."

"I'm not _that_ stubborn..." She said archly. Warren looked like her wanted to argue but decided against it.

"whatever." He said softly. "Just come back in before you freeze to death."

Felicity turned back to the snow outside... she felt cold.

...

Huh... short chapter... oh well.

To be honest, I'm getting ideas... for other fics... but am putting them off till I finish this one at least. So yeah... until I get the muse for this fic back, you're probably gonna have to deal with shorter-then-my-usual chapters. (Only 1749 words? I'm dissapointed in myself...)

Honestly this was not the direction I wanted to take this chapter... but I like how it wrote itself out.

Uhm... I live in Arizona (have my entire life) I have never been in snow for as long as I can remember... so if the Blizzard seems unrealistic well... I have no idea what one's like.


	10. A Million Little Things

Okay... hopefully this makes up for the fluff I promised last chapter.

I don't own sky high.

* * *

Felicity wondered how she woke up in a bed when she distinctly remembered being too hesitant to walk back into Warren's bedroom.

Boy did she really fuck up last night...

Gingerly she slid out of the large bed and padded quickly across the icy floor looking for her friend. The door knob was bitingly cold in her hand and turned with difficulty. Her breath puffed in the cold apartment.

"Warren?" She hated how small her voice sounded.

"Warren?" She tried a little bit louder. The distant sounds of clinking weights drew her to the other side of the apartment. She pulled the blanket closer around her and quickly walked over to the sound.

Warren was working out on the home gym equipment he spent most of his money on. Despite the cold, a thin sheen of perspiration made him glisten, and stuck his shirt to him.

"Warren?" she asked quietly. He flicked his eyes at her.

"Station said rescue workers are being recalled until the storm dies down a little bit. It's too dangerous to be going out in this. They've also identified the cause for definite. A Mad Scientist's off the shore about fifty miles, trying to ransom the city. That's why the storm's so bad. Everyone else has been evacuated out of the city." He said, not looking at her. "Oh, and your mom left a message for you on the radio this morning, she and your pets are fine." Felicity shivered as the temperature dropped once again. She could even see the sweat on Warren disappear and the goose-flesh creep up his neck. The Radio next to him crackled to life as an urgent warning that the Weather was going to get far worse, that the Scientist was cranking up the machine to ward off the wave of supers trying to infiltrate his location to shut down the machine.

"They can't do anything but the direct approach, can they?" Felicity scoffed, giving the radio a disgusted look.

"It's the way we're taught. Jump in head first, then attempt remorse while being admonished after we've beaten the villain into a pulp." Felicity grinned.

"True. We've better get back into the warmest part of the house. I'd feel horrible if you turned into a Warren-popsicle." Warren, sensing that she wanted to drop things for the time being, grinned.

"Yeah. Then Ethan would need a new nickname wouldn't he?" They both relaxed as it was obvious things would be left alone for the time being.

They made it to this room in time for the radio to blare that as punishment for failure to comply with his wishes, the Mad Scientist would freeze Maxville Harbor. Which would bring the accumulated temperature down to about forty below in the city.

"... We're going to need that fire." Felicity said after they let the news sink in. They quickly rounded up all the ceramic and metal bowls and all of the burnable material in the apartment and built several small fire pits in his room. With half an eye on the fires to make sure they didn't burn the building down, or smoke excessively, the two huddled under multiple blankets, side by side.

"It's ironic, how we ended up in this situation." Felicity remarked.

"True, but I'm glad it was you... I mean uh... well anyone else would just be awkward you know." Warren stuttered. Felicity laughed.

"Warren Peace you wouldn't be... oh I don't know... nervous would you?" Felicity teased.

"Nervous?! No, I mean why would I be? ... I mean I just want to spend all the time I can with you. After all when you get your big record deal, you'll be off to wherever big time music artists go. And I'll be here..." They both fell quiet. Felicity bit her lip, she hadn't thought about that.

"I'll still call, often even. Daily."

"Unless you're doing a concert, or on tour." _And eventually you'll just forget to call when you're home, and then all I will know about your life is the tabloids, and then one day you'll be splashed across a magazine, grinning ear to ear, with some hot actor wrapped around you... and I'll just be here waiting for you to call, but you wont. _

She may have not heard the words, but she felt the presence of the sentence unsaid. Warren drew her into his arms as another temperature drop came with the announcement over the radio that the mayor had refused to pay the ransom.

* * *

By the time the two started to get hungry. A team of supers had managed to sneak on the island fortress and reverse the machine, turning onto Maxville an artificial summer to melt down the accumulated snow. And by dinner time the two were out of the apartment and being treated to a large meal with friends and family.

* * *

"So you two were trapped in an apartment and didn't..." Zach said from his position on the floor in Felicity's room.

"Zach... honestly is that all you think about?" Warren asked from her bed. Felicity lying on top of his back, as he laid face down stroking Botan, gazed at her ceiling wondering if she should invest in glow in the dark stars, as something to break up the blank white.

"Well excuse me but how many not-couples lay on a bed together, especially like you are." He asked. Felicity sat up a little bit and looked down at their position before lying back down again.

"What? We're not doing anything. Besides my and my old mates would do worse by your standards." Zach opened his mouth to reply but Warren cut him off.

"Dude she's from Japan... think about it." Magenta practically tackled her boyfriend and clamped her hand over his mouth to keep the retort bottled.

"For the first time in a month things are normal. Let it go." The Guinea Pig girl hissed in his ear. Zach nodded.

"Warren? Where are you going to stay since your apartment's being cleared of snow?"

"Mom and me are staying here, as a thank you from Felicity's mom for her waiting out the weather at our place. But we'll be back in our apartment by Sunday morning the latest."

"Are you splitting the room with your mom?" Ethan asked.

"No." the Pyro said shifting, dumping the almost catatonic samurai on the bed beside him. She let loose a sleepy yawn, letting everyone know that it was high time to start heading home.

"But... there's-" Layla kicked him.

"Yeah I know "only one guest room". I'm staying in here on the floor."

"A-alright... night you two..."

"Night." They both called out. Warren flipped over to lie on his back. Saeko came in a moment later and bid them both goodnight, shutting the light off.

Felicity and Warren laid there for a moment.

"You going to get off the bed?"

"Nope... to comfy." Felicity yawned.

"Alright then. Have it your way. Goodnight Warren."

"Night Felicity."

* * *

Alright... this chapter was ridiculously short, and rediculously overdue. But there's this long story involving several computer "issues", and as several of you may have noticed, I did start a new story after I said I wouldn't. I am sorry about that.

And I tried to make this a decent length chapter but...it's 3am here, I'm copping out and heading to bed.


	11. Christmas Time is Here at Last

And it's here! OMG I updated!! Review!

* * *

"Morning Felicity!" Layla called while standing at the diva in training's bus stop.

"Morning Layla! Happy we graduate by all practical means today?" Felicity called to her red-headed friend as she sauntered down the gravel driveway.

"Mm... more that happy... Cocoa?" Layla offered from her thermos. Felicity was about to reach it but stopped to fix a level look at the redhead.

"This isn't your organic extra dark chocolate is it?" Layla rescinded the thermos since she knew Felicity would say not to the gloriously bitter brew. Felicity shivered.

"How can you stand that stuff? I nearly puckered last time I tried it." Layla grinned.

"The bitterness is what makes it so good! I normally like sweet things, but not chocolate. It's got to be extra bitter for me." The Origami Samurai shook her head as the bus came.

"So Layla, any reason you go on my stop instead of yours?"

"Hmm? Oh Will left to take his gym test earlier then the rest of us so that they had time to repair the gym after he was done, so I decided to get up early to go to yours." Felicity chuckled.

"Not Warren's or Magenta's or Zack's?" Layla fixed her with a look.

"Please I may be crazy but even _I_ don't annoy Warren Peace before he's had his coffee. Which by the way he takes with obscene amounts of cream and sugar." It was just like Layla to know that, so Felicity didn't comment on the random info. "And besides Magenta's a bitch before noon anyways, you know that, and to deal with Zack first thing in the morning guaranteeing a headache." Felicity laughed, that was true. They pulled up to an inner city stop and the girls looked in confusion at the surroundings.

"Isn't this..."

"Attention Sky High Students, due an illness going around the bus drivers for Sky High this bus, along with others, now have to double on runs. If you can procure other means of transportation for this afternoon, please do so. In the meantime double or triple up." The Intercom shut off and the door opened to reveal Warren Peace, and in a right foul mood. Layla got up and sat with the Larry across the aisle to give him room. The caffeine deprived maniac grunted and swung into the seat next to Felicity and promptly fell over on her. She took his Starbucks' cinnamon latte out of his tired hand so it didn't spill and let him sleep on her shoulder.

Once they were air born Felicity shook him awake and handed him his cooled coffee.

"Stayed up last night studying?" Warren nodded yawning. He chugged the liquid in the cup in one motion, and slumped against the seat waiting for the rush to kick in. Layla giggled at the sight of the sleepy Pyro but didn't comment any further at the look he gave her. "There's Layla's infamous Cocoa, that should jolt you awake." Warren blindly grabbed the proffered thermos and drank greedily. A moment later he shot up with a look of disgust on his face. Felicity couldn't help but laugh at his face.

* * *

Warren pulled the sweater closer to his body as he wound through the snow covered floating ice rink known as sky high. A few people had actually gotten ice skates to navigate the slippery frozen pavement.

"It was pretty stupid of them to drive right though an ice storm last night wasn't it?" Magenta sneered.

"Ice storm? I heard a bunch of guys got on campus last night and stole all the freeze rays out of Medulla's class." Ethan interjected, adjusting his glasses. Felicity shrugged as she followed Warren as he melted the ice in his path on hi way to the building. Layla laughed.

"Besides I heard they had tested the Elementals way early this morning out here, and an Icy had a break down and nearly froze the entire class." She supplied. Warren and Felicity stopped to look at her.

"And how, pray tell, did you hear that when we didn't?"

"I _over_heard it. Duh." The duo shook their heads and continued on it.

"OH! Warren. Remember the thing I talked to you about?" He grunted.

"And in Warrenese that translates as yes." She teased; she checked her watch and her eyes grew wide. "We got to get a move on." He grunted again and grabbed her hand.

"MOVE!" He bellowed and the crowd they had been fighting parted. The two rushed inside, Felicity fighting the giggles over his fearsome power. They rounded corners and pounded up flights of stairs until they had reached Principal Powers office. The threw open the door and rushed inside to sit on the seats, as Powers would not deal with people while standing.

The Principal flicked her eyebrow up as she inclined her head just enough to fully look at them. She turned back to her papers.

"Just in time you two." Was all she said. Moments of silence stretched by as she finished the paperwork from the previous student in her office. She filed the paperwork away and looked at the two critically.

"Winter is a busy time for us at Sky High. As you are probably well aware of those with family jobs or careers that do not require further education are given work experience credit, and are in effect allowed to graduate after the first semester of their senior year. Sidekicks and Supers who require college credits being the exception because they require further training and we offer a wide variety of other academics the Supers they are paired with to choose for their sidekick to learn." She didn't sound as if she thought much of that idea. "But, that's not entirely why you're here is it? Mr. Armstrong already proposed your group's idea to me. I'll admit. It is unorthodox. But not impossible to arrange. We'll contact you all individually to discuss this further." She dismissed them.

* * *

The group had split up for First Exams. Felicity went off to her Super's English class long with Warren and Magenta while. The other's divided between Super Heroes and Villains 101 and Heroic Basics.

* * *

_What do the acronyms TCBSS HHRRZP and SSHROTZPQ stand for?_ The answers trailed on until Felicity reached Answer "F"

_F) B.U.L.L.S.H.I.T. (Do NOT select this answer it is NOT the answer)_ Felicity bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud.

She finished the test and wrote a little note to stick it in the answer booklet.

_For question number 86, the test answer is A, which I selected. But really the answer IS F._ Felicity sat back down and dug out her laptop; She turned the sound off and started surfing the web. Moments later muffled laughter reached her ears and she looked up over her monitor to grin at her teacher.

Warren was next to finish the test and dropped a note on Felicity's desk.

_Chinese after school today? _Felicity bit her lips and shook her head at him. She jotted a note down on paper and crumpled it up and flicked it at him.

Warren unfurled the paper and read the message.

_Love to, can't how about after work? I get off at eight today._ He pulled out a new piece of paper and wrote his reply on itand tossed her the balled up note.

_Can't. Mom's making me buy my graduation outfit._ Felicity grinned, Warren's mom was convinced her boy wasn't going to graduate. So now that its close and his grades are actually decent, she's going hog wild with the preparations.

_Are you going to Layla and Will's Housewarming/Graduation party for Will/Christmas party? _She wrote back, changing the subject.

_You ask like I have a choice in the matter, you forget they know where I live._ Warren replied. At some point in the last two weeks Layla and Will had managed to convince both the William and the Stronghold families to let them move out and into an apartment. Mrs. Lent excused anyone who was done taking their test before Felicity could reply.

* * *

"Isn't your Birthday coming up soon?" Warren asked as the two made there way to the Cafeteria, where they would be serving food all day to out of class testers. Felicity sighed as he reminded her.

"Yeah, that's why I'm desperately hoping to land the recording contract." Warren looked confused. Felicity saw the confused look on his face and clarified. "Warren, I'm turning eighteen. As in no longer a minor... as in no longer covered by my mum's diplomatic visa... as in I will be deported unless I can become a citizen."

"Oh..." The two got in the short line and picked up cups of Hot Chocolate and Maple Buns before turning to find a table.

"But aren't there exceptions for superheroes? Or could you be a Diplomat like your mom?" Felicity shook her head.

"The Diplomat title was an award for helping to save the city. And I could, but it'd have to be done like today because I turn eighteen Monday and you have to still be a minor to apply for a Super's Visa, mostly because of bureaucratic bullshit involving numbers or active Supers or some shit, since minors by law can't act as Heroes without a permit." Warren remembered when Will crammed his Heroing Permit down everyone's throats.

"Damned if you do damned if you don't." He yawned as they found a secluded table.

After several cups of overly sugary Cocoa and a few too many sickeningly sweet buns they waddled off to their next class slightly greenfaced.

* * *

"_Will Felicity MacLeod please come to the principal's office."_ Felicity slid off the bench in the cafeteria she had sat herself on since she really had no final in Choir. She grabbed her bags, ruffled Zack's hair just to piss him off and sauntered down the hallway she would sing but there were people who were still taking tests. She made it to the office and opened the door letting herself in and sat down in front of the woman.

Powers had already written the correct the name on top of the paper and slid it over to the seated girl. On it was a rather long list of subjects for the hero to choose his or her sidekick to learn. Right off the bat Felicity circled Pilots Ed, basic hand to hand, and Conversational Chinese. The Origami Samurai studied the list a little bit further. Knew how to swim... Felicity also circled Motorcycle Ed. She _refused_ to have a sidecar on the beautiful black bike her grandfather was buying her. She also circled Conversational Japanese. Culinary Arts. And Basic Weaponry. Felicity slid the paper back and accepted the new one to fill out. It was a Super Identification From. The SIF was the government's way to keep track of all the meta-humans in the world. She filled it out with her name, the Super Identity she would like to have, the phone number she would like to have (she checked the "no preference" box), the summary of her powers and weaknesses, where she could be currently reached, her current address, ect. Once done with that powers handed her a third paper. It was the request form for a super powered team up, claiming her responsibly for two sidekicks since there wasn't an even number of graduating students. Felicity looked up at Powers who smiled and gestured her to finish the paper. She wrote that yes, Will and Warren would be her benefactors for Super Duties should anything happen and they had already signed her as one of theirs. Her sidekick (whose Super name she left blank, telling Power's that she'd rather they choose) and that she will respond to any crisis as a member of the team, whom they had left unnamed to argue about later (Felicity had a sneaking suspicion The Team would indeed be the name) and finished the rest to the best of her ability. Felicity could felt he tears prick at her eyes, they may not have known it, but they gave her citizenship by a civil union in the form of a Super Team.

* * *

Felicity skipped out of her final class, Gym whistling a tune while Warren walked besides her good humouredly. He was actually _smiling_ he was in such a good mood, which only made Felicity in a better mood since his smile she privately likened it to a ray of sunshine through the dark turbulence of a hurricane. And she **will **lop of your bits if you ever repeat that. She hummed an appropriate little ditty about Christmas cheer and stopped by her locker to empty it out. Warren left to go do the same to his locker when Sabrina's voice came from behind him.

"Hey Warry-pookey." Warren gagged at the name, his good mood rapidly vanishing.

"Listen. I. Am. Not. Your. Boyfriend!" Warren briefly wondered why it was that girls seemed to be inexplicably attracted to him. Hell he still had the bizarre lumpy present Beauty, Will's fourteen year old cousin, had given him... no wait he threw that away. There was a sigh from behind him.

"I like know that. Listen I was just coming to like apologize, cause I was like new and choir's always been my thing you know, and I come here and all anyone can talk about is like ... her" she said the word darkly. "In choir it was all "oh she saved my life" and "oh she sings like an angel" and "yeah right _Felicity_'s going to get the lead, you watch.". And I got like really sick of it and so when I like saw her for the first time I was like shocked because well... she was totally _not_ what I expected, but like people still ooohed and aaahhhed over her. So I like struck out you know? And so then..." She just wouldn't shut up... Warren knew she was trying to say something character revealing and whatnot but she just chattered in one non-stop babble of gum smacking and "like"s and "totally"s

"Sabrina. I don't care. Go bug someone else." Sabrina, probably for the first time since he knew her, actually looked hurt. He watched as she realized he wasn't going to start apologizing and ran off to bitch him out to the first ear that would listen.

"That... was a little cold mate." Warren shrugged.

"She'll live." Felicity shook her head, she knew full in well Warren was not a nice person to those outside the group. The half girl threaded her arm through his with no protests and they both walked out of the school towards the buses.

* * *

"DJ Felicity over to you live from Radioland! Stop by Radioland HQ for all your music needs. I'm kicking off the hour with a modern day twist of an old classic. Here's Santa Baby by Willa Ford!" Felicity paused in her DJ chatter to turn the song on and ring up a customer.

"Thanks and have a great Holiday." Felicity sincerely wished the woman. The Bing of a Message hitting her mail box turned her to the computer where she answered any emails sent to her.

_Miss MacLeod,_

_Congratulations, you've passed Mad Sciences with a 98._

_I look forward to your performance tomorrow._

_Your, No-longer, Professor,_

_Medulla._

_P.S. For all of your attention drawing antics, it truly was a pleasure teaching you._

_I anxiously await the selling of your first album._

Felicity smiled at the email as she took another request. In the middle of the next song "How Far We've Come" Felicity received two more messages.

_Felicity,_

_You've passed Choir, like you didn't know that._

_Don't talk too much; remember you need that voice my staring lead._

_Mrs. Merlot._

The next one read:

_Origami,_

_You've passed Gym. Congrats._

That one made her laugh. She could hear the sarcasm in his voice. Another beep told her yet another digi-report card came in.

_Felicity,_

_It's been a distracted pleasure in having you in class. _

_I WILL miss your jokes. _

_You have an 87 _

_Ms. Lent_

Felicity wondered why they were all emailing her about her grades but found it to be irrelevant as she opened another personal message, this time from Principal Powers.

_Miss MacLeod,_

_Congratulation, you have passed all of your classes with 80 or higher. I also have the pleasure of informing you that all of your paperwork has filed through and everything is in order, you will receive in the mail tomorrow your package containing Citizenship details and Super details and necessary items. The others have not been informed yet._

_Have a Wonderful Christmas and New Years and I will see you again at the graduation ceremony in May._

_Principal Powers._

Felicity almost squealed in air she was so excited. Hastily she put the machine on to screen calls and run random Christmas Carols while she hopped over the register part and ran into the studio booth to make a few quick calls.

* * *

Warren grouchily tugged at his dark navy collar and black tie as his mother cooed and snapped pictures, His phone rang, giving him an excuse to dash back into the changing booth and remove the overly tight tie.

"Yeah?"

"_I'm a citizen! Legally! The paperwork just went through!"_ Warren couldn't believe his ears.

"Ah Felicity... that's, that's great! Wait does this mean the?"

"Yes, You me and Will are now part of a small supers team!" Warren couldn't contain it; he began jumping up and down whooping at the good news.

"Uh Sir? If you can't contain your behavior, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." A store employee said knocking on the door to his stall. Warren cursed and apologized.

"Yeah hey Felicity? I'm going to have to let you go, I'm in a changing stall." There was a brief stutter of apology and the click of the signal disconnecting. Warren grinned as he put up with his mother's nitpicking.

* * *

Will put the couch down on the staircase he was climbing and let it rest against his legs to keep it from sliding down the stairs again while he dug into his pocket.

"Hello?"

"_The papers just came though everything's good to go."_ Will smiled.

"Oh, that's a load off my mind; do you know when we get our confirmations and stuff?"

"_Tomorrow, hey Will? My break's over. I'll talk to you tomorrow after the concert."_

"No problem. See you tomorrow."

* * *

Felicity's excitement woke her up bright and early and she practically pranced out of her house to scare the Mail Man and greedily snatch the boxes and such he was delivering to the house. With a sweet smile she whirled back in with a rushed "Happy Holidays" and shut the door.

Like a kid at Christmas she shredded the containers and dumped out her sleek shiny new red phone, government issued. They weren't supposed to get these till graduation, but hers Will's and Warren's were a special case. She turned it on and the standard start up music chimed bright and loud. She busied herself for twenty minutes configuring everything before setting it aside and opening the other boxes.

"Ohayo Felicity." Her mother stumbled out in her robe, blinking blearily and yawning as she greeted her energetic daughter. She poured herself a cup of coffee and picked the red phone off the table. The older woman took a sip of the drink and peered at the phone.

"Eight megapixel camera, fourteen hours of audio and video memory, holds up to two-hundred numbers. Boy they sure are a lot better then the ones we used to get." Felicity had gotten a screwdriver and was opening the DNA receptor on her communicator to input her biometrics system on it.

"They aren't even allowed on the market yet for another thirty years. And that's not all they do. They surf the web, you can hack with them, which is why I'm glad I took those computer hacking basics courses in high school, they stream TV live, and they can send and receive Video in real time. And they can program the VCR/DVD player." Saeko turned the phone over to gaze at the screen in the back. There was even small channel and volume buttons on the side. Felicity's communicator beeped to signify its connection to the Super grid.

The Communicator was fashioned like a stylish leather band for her wrist, with a brushed metal pendant that would rearrange to her Super's initials when she changed. She didn't know how it understood when she was going on duty, but this little baby was by far the most complex piece of equipment she'd ever seen. Not only did it monitor your Bio, but it signaled other supers in the area of your presence, and alerted your Teammates/Sidekick when you were in trouble. She pressed a small button on the side to cause it to morph into the communicator aspect and she flipped it open. It beeped quietly and displayed a dead screen. She pressed another button and a tiny little drawer shot out with an almost microscopic tracker in it while the screen turned into a radar.

"Cool." Saeko, who was watching over her daughter's shoulder, ooh in agreement. Felicity shut the drawer and fastened it on her wrist, turning it back to its civilian disguise. The Origami Samurai opened the rest of the packages, a small note congratulating her on her citizenship status and a legal US passport, no questions asked. Several licenses for the various classes she had taken in Sky High, such as her driver's license, her pilot's license, her motorcycle driver's license, her heroing license, her permits needed to go about daily super life, such as her Secret Layer Permit. Advertisements about what places to buy houses in that don't ask questions, and who to see about building your own Secret Layer. A detailed list of all the super's in the area... by the time Felicity was done her head was pounding.

"Oi, they sure don't make thing easy for a newbie do they?" Saeko chuckled.

"Most people ignore most of this stuff." Her mother assured. Felicity nodded but put the stuff away in her bedroom for safe keeping.

"Mom' I'm going to shower and get ready for rehearsal today." She called from her room as she wandered to the bathroom with her rehearsal outfit.

* * *

"One two three four!..." The Girls counted through the steps they were well familiar with as practice before performing the song to the actual music.

"_I've been searching for a man..._

_All across the land..._

_Yes I need, I need my Samurai!"_ The three Asian girls took their turns singing the lyrics as they danced around waving around the fans someone had donated. When they had run through that song several times through anyone not going a solo was released for the rest of the day.

"From the top Felicity."

The music started and Felicity waited.

"_Dancing bears, Painted wings_

_Things I almost remember_

_And a song someone sings _

_Once upon a December"_

She swayed the to music letting the song carry her into the prearranged steps she had memorized the song with.

"_And a song someone sings_

_Once upon a December..."_ She drew off as the song ended. There was a brief pause in between the songs as the person in the DJ booth jerked up out of their stupor and switched over to the song the next girl was going to sing.

"That was beautiful Felicity." Merlot commented as the half girl helped herself to the table of refreshments. Felicity smiled from around a glass of punch.

"Thanks, I'm somewhat bummed we didn't get to do the Halloween concert, but I like a lot of the songs for this concert better."

"I know but things happen. On the bright side the new stage should be finished for the Spring Concert." Felicity nodded. As she snagged a buttery chocolate square and washed it down with a second helping of punch. "And if we can fundraise enough we might be able to buy that fancy new sound equipment you have installed." Felicity smiled again and chose a strawberry tart.

* * *

Warren found Will and the rest sitting front row.

"Hey Warren! Can you believe the years over and all of us have graduated?" That comment earned him a nasty look from the sidekicks in the group. The Sidekicks, being Magenta Zack and Layla, still had to go through additional sidekick training, and since Warren Will and Felicity didn't need any further education for their chosen careers they could skip the next semester. Mrs. MacLeod grinned as she took the seat on the other side of Warren.

"Hello, how are you all?" She said amicably.

"Hello Mrs. MacLeod Ma'am." The group was still slightly frightened of the diminutive Asian woman. Medulla, who had been in the row behind them leaned forward.

"How did you do that?" He asked. She smiled at him and replied simply.

"I'm a Mother."

The lights dimmed once the theater was full and settled and a bright spotlight shined on the center of the black curtains. Felicity dressed in a stylish representation of a 1920's Gangster Moll came through the curtains.

"Welcome! And thanks for coming. From what I can see we have a packed house tonight!" She shaded her eyes to peer through the light to the back rows.

"Well, as you know this year we couldn't hold our concert at the school. But we were able to procure this beautiful theater for our show so that story has a happy ending. However, we, the Sky High School for Super's Choir Class is in trouble, and it's not just the Choir, any class that uses the Stage is in trouble, not only will it take months more for the stage to be built, we don't even have sound equipment yet. We're currently borrowing a soundboard from Radioland, where you can find all your music needs." She paused and made a face allowing the audience to laugh. "Sorry, I'm so used to adding that last bit on that I do it every time now." She clapped her hands. "Anyways, so please when you leave there will be Choir girls running a Booth there, where you can buy autographed pictures of the girls in the show for five, order a DVD for ten dollars, buy the CD of all the songs sang here sung by the girls for ten, or other items or just donate straight into the donation bin. We _need_ five thousand dollars, sound equipment is _not_ cheep. And with every donation or purchase higher then thirty dollars your name goes on a plaque in the Auditorium." She ended her little speech. "So... without further ado... Lets get it Started!" The crowd applauded as the black curtains receded to reveal a holographic background, made by a supped up projector courtesy of Medulla.

"_I've been a bad bad girl_

_I've been careless_

_With a delicate man_

_And it's a sad sad world_

_When a girl will break a boy_

_Just because she can."_ Felicity wagged her finger in mock reproach

The song continued as she pranced around loosing herself in the music. Chorus after lyric flowed out as she swung slowly on a steel bar placed there for her to. She climbed black wooden stairs made to look like the steel versions found in the back of apartment buildings. The back alley intercity look selling the song. Felicity replayed the well practiced moves until the end of the song.

"_Because he's all_

_I ever knew of love"_ She drew off the end of the song and the crowd cheered. Felicity ducked backstage and hurried into her next costume as people whispered congrats to her.

The concert really flew by for both the dancers and the audience until the last song of the night. Felicity Alicia and Angela came out.

"_Ding Dong _

_Ding Dong _

_Ding Dong..._

_Hark hear the bells sweet silver bells_

_All seem to say, though cares away_

_Christmas is here bring in the cheer_

_to young and old, meek and the bold..."_ They sang in trio. They stayed perfectly motionless, only their moths movie to sing the song. The back ground hosted a Beautiful Snowy old Town Square and they were dressed as Carolers. When the final notes of the song came they bowed to the roar of applause and waited till the curtains closed before standing up straight.

"Ladies! That was beautiful! Thank you all so much now get changed and get out of here! Happy Holidays to you all!" A teary Merlot cried as the girls went about scavenging for their items of clothing. Felicity found her jeans and sweater and hurried off stage and through the back.

* * *

"Felicity! Oh you were wonderful!" Layla latched onto her squeezing the girl till she squeaked.

"Wonderful performance Miss McLeod." Medulla bid her as he held up a CD as away of showing proof of his support. Within moments she was surrounded by a crowd of people cheering for her. She excused herself from the crowd and followed Layla back to the large green van she owned. Felicity Climbed in the back, next to an already sat Warren and buckled her seatbelt when the van started.

"You were great Felicity." The chorus of sentiments that followed left Felicity feeling like the whole evening was some sort of Christmas enchantment. She was that indescribably happy. It was like at the end of the movie where everything's perfect again and they teens all go to the ocean and jump off the cliff or something that bitter-sweetly beautiful. Of course Maxville didn't have any cliffs. Felicity giggled at her thoughts just in time for the snow to start slowly falling around her. She leaned across Warren to watch the flakes drift, remembering not fully a month ago she had been trapped with the man, alone in his apartment. Had she been a more wanton woman she would have made an advance on him, but was glad that in the wake of that emotional night, they had become closer then ever.

She could feel the hitch in his breath. Slowly she turned to look into his dark eyes and saw for the first time all the things there, her own breath hitched in reply as her fingers slowly entwined with his warm ones.

* * *

DONE!! Wooot!!

And it is with great relish I proclaim ONE CHAPTER LEFT!!

And it's the epilogue XD.

Oh, I'd put the entire song lyrics up, but then this story would be about thirty pages not nineteen.

REMEMBER REVIEW PLEASE!!


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